Soldiers of the Seven Sins
by JustLikePagliacciDid
Summary: Rei Ayanami is resurrected by the United States to control the Third Angel. A darker power makes its bid for divinity. Shinji and Asuka are awoken, both metaphorically and literally. ShinjiAsuka
1. Chapter 1

**Life After**

A van rolled down the highway, passing deserted cars and groups of huddled survivors as it made its way towards the collection of battered skyscrapers looming in the distance. Two helicopters, armed with autocannons and missiles, hovered overhead. Emblazoned on the side of the van was the acronym: NSA. The vehicle passed a wooden sign at fifty miles per hour. It read "Sisco, 5 miles".

Inside, a man in black body armor was driving, with a similarly equipped man sitting next to him. They expressed no emotion. In the back, though, quite different two sat.

One was an albino man, wearing a blue business suit. Across from him sat a tall, brown-haired woman in a lab coat. He seemed to remember her as blonde, but perhaps this world would not tolerate such luxuries as hair dye. Beside the woman sat two briefcases. One sat next to the man.

"How are you feeling this fine morning, Nagisa?" asked the brunette, sneeringly.

"Very well," he said, mildly.

"You can have them, just as soon as I see I'm not being duped."

"Of course." The albino, Nagisa, tossed the brunette the briefcase at his side. She opened it to find a rather considerable sum of money, in Yen, no less. She checked for forgery, then closed the briefcase and carefully handed him the two cases at her side. He quickly placed them at his side.

"Now, where will you go, Doctor Akagi?" asked Nagisa, making it sound like idle curiosity.

"Tell you? And get turned in to the Japanese? I think not," said Akagi.

"We will be willing to double your payment if you remain for the duration of the Project, in the event of a _problem_ with the cargo." Nagisa reached under his seat and drew out yet another case. Sitting it on his lap, he opened it with a press of a button, revealing the contents to Akagi.

"I suppose that will be possible," she said, looking at the cash hungrily.

---

Red eyes opened, nerve pathways flared to life, and self-awareness was attained. Rei floated in the LCL, looking around the small entry plug. It was familiar… yes… but she shouldn't be here… Suddenly, the bottom of the plug fell away, and she fell with a cascade of orange water.

Rei saw she wasn't alone. Two men in combat fatigues pulled her to her feat, dressed her in a white lab coat, and pushed her out the door of the circular room. Leading her through desolate corridors, they found a door with 42 painted on the door in white paint. Opening the door, the men shoved Rei inside, shut the door, and locked it from the outside. Rei stared at the door for a few moments, before lying down on the bed.

She did not know how long her captivity lasted. It all blurred into a mess of monotony, but it must have been several days, perhaps even a week. Either way, by the end, she was reduced to sleeping almost all the time, even though she dreamed little. However, after this long solitude, she was suddenly roused by the noise of the door opening. Turning over, she saw who was entering. A tall, albino man, with a thin face and messy hair. He struck her as familiar, but she wasn't certain…

The man coughed into his hand, sat at a chair across the room from Rei's bed, and adjusted his glasses meaningfully.

"Miss Ayanami," he said, quietly.

Rei stared at him, unblinking.

"I trust you do not know where you are?"

She continued to stare blankly. "Yes."

"You are a within the city of San Francisco, in the naval base known as the Presidio."

Rei considered. "Then I am under the jurisdiction of the Government of United States."

"The National Security Agency," said the albino, calmly. "The Federal Government as you knew it as ceased to be."

Rei made no response, not having been asked a question. The man seemed to expect this, and continued. "The reality of life after Third Impact is harsh, Miss Ayanami. There is not enough food, water, and supplies to go around. The only solution is to take what others have."

Rei made no comment.

"This is our request: you control a special weapon we have taken control of, and you will become a hero of the United States, be given a _generous_ paycheck, and a place to retire. You won't even have to pay taxes. Now… do we have a deal?"

"I have no interest in such things," said Rei. "I wish to return to the LCL Sea, as was intended by Human Instrumentality."

The albino leaned back. "We'd be happy to kill you and let your soul return to the Orange Sea…" He trailed off. "Of course, we'd have to plaster Japan with N2 Weapons shortly thereafter. Our computers estimate eighty percent casualties. Would you risk that Ikari be among them?"

Rei sat up straight, her eyes widened for a few moments. "You would destroy Japan?" she asked, bland as usual, but apprehension was in her eyes.

"Yes."

Rei considered. While she might end up clashing with her former comrades… There was no way she would allow the USA to destroy all Japan. Not out of any benevolence towards the people there, but she would not allow Ikari to die.

"Very well," she said, quietly. The man stood and smiled faintly. "Welcome aboard, Miss Ayanami." He held the door open for her. Rei stood, looked out at the concrete walls beyond, and stepped out. The corridor stretched out in either direction, both walls lined with doors. The man led Rei towards right, taking a series of turns that Rei efficiently mentally catalogued. Finally, they emerged on a balcony overlooking a darkened hanger. The man leaned on the railing as Rei stood next to him.

The lights came on, flaring to life one at a time. However, Rei's attention wasn't on the effects. Her attention was on Sachiel, who was imprisoned in the hanger below.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hmmz... The Brits are in for a bad experience...

**The Prisoner**

Sachiel stared up at them from where it was crucified. Rei and the Nagisa stared back.

"The Third Angel," said Rei, blandly.

"Yes and no," said Nagisa, smiling weakly. "This will shortly become an Evangelion, or something like it."

"How?" Rei was surprised, but didn't let it show in her voice.

"The Angel has a nervous system, similar but not identical to a human's. Through a very advanced device acquired by the Central Intelligence Agency, we can convert the Angel's nerve signals into human ones, and vice versa."

Rei remained silent. "The Third Angel was completely destroyed."

"Not exactly. Some of Sachiel was scraped off of Unit 01. We procured it, and created this clone."

Rei considered. "You wish me to command the Third Angel against the United States' enemies?"

"All the nations of the world are enemies, Miss Ayanami. No nation can produce enough food for its people. The only way to survive is to attack and loot granaries, factories, and hospitals. This is a pivotal time, Miss Ayanami. Only one nation shall stand. The others shall fall before this one country, which shall rise again to repopulate the Earth."

"Would it not be more efficient to dissolve national borders, and share all resources?" asked Rei.

"They say it is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven," said Nagisa. A slight sadness tinged in his voice.

Rei opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. "They're preparing for the surgery. Follow." Nagisa led the young girl into an elevator, where they rode down to a large room level with Sachiel. Scientists were scurrying back and forth, guards stood at all the doors, and consoles lined the walls.

Rei's eyes scanned the room. They were all unfamiliar… except one. Her eyes looked on one brown-haired young woman. Rei recognized the face, but the hair seemed out of place. The woman saw Rei, and hurriedly turned back to the console. There was a sudden whirr of machinery, and Sachiel, still crucified, was raised into an upright position. A drill descended from the roof and placed itself at the back of Sachiel's neck. The Angel seemed to squirm. It began to spin, sending splatters of blue blood across the room. Sachiel strained at his restraints as the drill bored into the back of his neck. A young woman at a console in the corner turned green and vomited into a wasteback.

The drill retracted, still dripping with Angel blood. Another machine descended and inserted a large, capsule-shaped object into the cavity, perhaps an entry plug. The rest of the surgery was disinteresting: The still squirming Sachiel was covered with armor. On both his arm large gun barrels were placed. A small, curved sword was hung off his right shoulder in such a way it hung parallel to the entry plug installed in the back of his neck. Finally, he was released from the cross, and he fell into the reddish liquid below.

"When will I attempt to synch with it?" asked Rei.

"Tomorrow, at six o'clock," said Nagisa. "Do not be late."

Was Rei ever late?

---

The half-angel stood on a raised platform, the looking at the entry plug that stuck out of the back of Sachiel's spine, or the equivalent. The plug jutted out even during combat, but this could not be avoided. Sachiel was also covered with blue armor, with the US flag painted on either shoulder. Two gun barrels were planted on either arm. Rei, in a plugsuit, looked on.

The door slid open. Rei climbed into the entry plug, reflecting that it was almost identical to the Eva's. Inside, she wondered how different piloting Sachiel would be from Unit 00.

The activation test began. Sachiel resisted with his pitiful intellect, but was soon overcome by Rei's soul. Rei blinked as she gazed through Sachiel's eyes, looking around the four walls of the test chamber. Nagisa's voice sounded.

"Let's start simple, shall we?" An unadorned version of Sachiel, armed only with the its claws and fists, appeared and began to advance. Rei raised a single gun barrel and directed it to fire. The facsimile was turned into a fireball. The smoke cleared, revealing a twisted wreck.

Inside, Nagisa leaned back. "Dr. Akagi, what was the difficulty level of that simulation?"

"7 out of ten," she said, ignoring usual military courtesy.

"I see." This was looking good. "Send a simulation of Zeruel in."

Rei saw a figure floating in the distance, drawing closer. It gave her an odd feeling to face once again the Angel that had killed her a year before. It landed, and a tentacle arm flung out at her. Rei side stepped and delivered a hail of bullets to Zeruel's chest. This had little effect, leaving only a few dents. The other tentacle shot forward as the first looped around. Rei raised her AT Field, blocking both, but Zeruel had her trapped. Gambling, Rei leapt forward over the tentacles, but was blown out of the sky by a cross of light.

"Congratulations," said Nagisa into the microphone as the simulation rebooted, "You have just wasted millions of government dollars."

Rei looked up. "I fail to see the point of this exercise. I will not be fighting Angels on an actual battlefield."

"Yes…" murmured Nagisa. He cleared his throat. "Very well then, let us run a simulation against the sort of forces you might actually fight."

A landscape formed in the chamber. Trees, hills, flowers, mountains… a lake… a house… this place was familiar.

Mountains. Heavy are the mountains, but that changes with the passage of time.

Sky, blue sky. What your eyes can't see. What your eyes can see.

The Sun. One, only one.

Water. It is agreeable. Shinji Ikari...

Flowers. So many the same. So many without purpose.

Sky. Sky of red. Red the color, the color I hate.

The liquid flows, it drips, ripples and pours.

Blood. Scent of blood. A woman who does not bleed.

From the red soil the humans come.

Humans made by man and woman.

City, a human creation…

Rei's eyes opened as the poem continued to play in her head. The simulated forces began to gather before her. Suits of mobile armor, coming only to Sachiel's knee, began to raise their missiles. A positron rifle was charging, not unlike the one used by Unit 01 against Ramiel. Tanks aimed their gun barrels and a few missile platforms moved into position.

In the control room, Nagisa leaned forward and grinned. "Her synch ratio is approaching 200," said Ritsuko, stunned.

"Of course," he said, grinning. "This is the place of her dreams. Here, she'll break that last barrier that Gendo kept her from."

Sachiel didn't move an inch as its enemies moved into position. The rifle continued to charge. All guns were loaded, all missiles aimed. Silence reigned…

A missile roared into the air. Ten others followed it, rocketing towards the immobile Sachiel. The tanks cannons roared to life as the positron rifle continued to charge. Rei's AT Field activated at the last minute. Explosions filled the air around the Angel, smoke blocking out all view of it. Another of tank fire sent more fire and smoke into the sky. Sachiel was invisible. The positron rifle fired into the fog of war. A terrible silence filled the room.

"No AT Field could survive that," said Ritsuko, confidently.

Sachiel stepped out of the cloud, raised either arm, and fired the four gun barrels into the formation. They were cleared in less than forty seconds.

"Well, well," said Nagisa, almost to himself, "Perhaps the NSA will contribute to the upcoming assault on Britain. Now… if only we could master Sachiel's most powerful weapon…"

---


	3. Chapter 3

**Invasion**

Rei sat in the entry plug, attempting to once again achieve a 200 synch ratio. However, after the initial spike, it started resolutely hovering around 130, still better than anything she achieved with NERV. Concentrating all of her will on the Angel, she pushed it up to 135.

"Good, Rei," said Nagisa, "That will have to do. We move in five days."

Ah, yes, the invasion. This one fact lurked in the back of Rei's mind; it was impossible to forget amidst the rush of planning and equipping. The recently assembled Seventh Army was gathering over the Presidio, from where it would ride salvaged tanks and other vehicles to New York. An airborne trip might be more efficient, but the government wanted to show off its new trump card: Sachiel, or US Unit 00, as it was known to the rest of the army. And besides, without satellites or international TV, news traveled slow after Third Impact.

The remaining three days were spent in intensive training. Rei was first subjected to a long-term survival test. She was placed in the foothills, mountains towering above her, and ordered to survive. Tanks rolled towards her, filling the peaceful landscape with a cacophony of gunfire. Usually, they distracted Rei while a large vehicle carrying a positron rifle was driven in, guarded by the considerably more deadly mobile armor suits. Sachiel actually lost a piece of chest armor when one of them got in a lucky missile shot. The offender was quickly stepped upon. This war-game grew old, and, on the second day, another simulation was launched. A large warehouse was placed before her, unguarded. She had to rip it out by the foundations and carry it to a drop zone nearby. While this proved difficult the first few times, she eventually managed to hook her fingers under it in just the right way to rip up the foundations without damaging the building. Things got a little more difficult when assault helicopters began to attack her. Rei swatted them out of the sky like flies, but it was irritating when they damaged or destroyed the warehouse.

Finally, the hard bit came on the third day. Rei had to fight another Eva, armed only with the sword slung over her back. The adversary was a rather generic design, with orange armor and no shoulder guards. However, it was quick, and Rei was soon dodging left and right to avoid its axe blows. Furrowing her brow, she drew her own blade and parried the blade, forcing it back and slashing again. Another downward strike; she sidestepped and slashed. A gash appeared in her opponents breastplate, but it didn't slow down. The axe slashed sideways, catching Rei on the side. As a shock of pain struck Rei's side, something changed within her. She felt another presence, something older, something darker. The entry plug went dark as her body was wracked with pain… or perhaps orgasm, she wasn't certain. Colors flashed past, and Rei suddenly found herself crouched on a raised stone spire. She had barely enough room to crouch, much less move. Another stone tower shot into the air, a short distance from her own. Turning around, Rei saw an extremely pale, green-haired, red-eyed Shinji Ikari.

The boy coughed violently. "Excuse. Me. ForBeing un-fam-il-iar – with – the human. Form. AndSpeech."

"Identify yourself."

"You – call me – Sachiel."

"The Third Angel?"

"Yes." More coughing. "I haveDefeated. The – simulacrum of light."

"The simulation?"

"Y-yes."

"Why have you contacted me?"

Dark shapes began to form in the fog around them. "Kthulhu," began Sachiel, "Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Belphegor, Satan. The Soldiers of the Seven Sins."

"I do not understand."

Dark shapes formed around Rei. Looking around, she saw there were seven.

"The Soldiers of the Seven Sins, Satan – is – TheirMaster."

"I still do not understand."

"They will come, as did I, and lay waste to the Earth." Sachiel was suddenly speaking coherently, as if reciting from memory. "If neither Angel nor Man become God, then a Demon shall." Rei tried to process this.

"If ever you lose faith, remember this," began Sachiel, "for every sinner, there is a saint. Furthermore, one man's sinner is another's saint."

Rei was abruptly thrust into reality. Apparently, Sachiel had briefly taken control and torn apart the simulation. Her opponent's limbs were scattered around the field, and its head was in Sachiel's hand. With his last vestige of control, the Angel crushed it.

"Perhaps overkill, Miss Ayanami?"

---

On the fourth day, a day before she was to join the march across the coast, Rei was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Looking over, she saw what luxuries she did have – a tv that got four stations and a few books – and turned back to the ceiling. Someone knocked at the door. Rei failed to respond. Another knock.

"Enter," she said. To her mild surprise, Nagisa stepped through.

"Director Twilight," she said, mildly surprised.

"Hello, Ayanami," he said, pleasantly. He stood across from her, coughed, and adjusted his glasses. "I came to take you to the surface."

Rei looked at him out of the corner of her eye. There was a silence.

"I wanted you to see what you are fighting for." Climbing to his feat, Nagisa offered Rei and hand. She accepted, and he led her towards the elevator. The formerly desolate hallways were now filled with people hurrying back and forth, preparing to mobilize the American Eva Project. Nagisa ignored them, leading Rei up towards the surface, always holding her hand.

As they walked through a park, Rei watched the despair of the people around her. Everyone looked thin, tired, and dirty. The skyscrapers around her were mostly abandoned; only a few were occupied by civil servants and military personnel. Soldiers marched or rode through town, some looking apathetic towards the civilians' suffering, others regretful. Perhaps they felt guilt after getting two meals that day.

Looking to the East, Rei watched a young mother carried her baby across the street, towards an aid station. She was pale and almost emaciated; her face was dirty and her expression dull. Standing before the station, she exchanged a few words with the person behind the counter before being given an open can of chicken soup and a wooden spoon. Taking it and her baby, the woman sat at a nearby bench. To Rei's great surprise, the mother gave almost all of the soup to her child, keeping only a few spoonfuls to herself.

"Why is she not given more food?" asked Rei.

"We have nothing more to give her," said Nagisa, sadly.

Turning to the South, Rei saw a group teenagers of both genders, all raggedly dressed, gathered in a windowless building. They huddled together for warmth against the cold wind that eternally blew over the desolate landscape. One the boys, a gaunt, sickly-looking lad, sat up and began coughing violently. One of the girls comfortlingly put an arm around him, but Rei could tell from her expression that the boy wouldn't live much longer.

"Why is he not given medical attention?" asked Rei.

"Do you see any doctors? Do you see any medicine?"

Rei turned to the West, where a few men were siphoning gasoline off of an abandoned vehicle. They were talking among themselves almost genially, as if stealing a precious resource was something they did routinely.

"Why are they allowed to steal fuel?" asked Rei.

"Listen closely," said Nagisa. Rei listened, and caught a few of their words.

"… Some food for the kids …" "… the next treatment for Margret…" "… a present for my daughter's birthday…"

Rei looked to the North, where a few forlorn soldiers were taking corpses out of the back of a truck and piling them up. Pulling out a can of gas, one began to douse the gruesome heap.

"Why are they not being buried?" asked Rei.

"Where? What do we put on the headstones? They were all anonymous, probably victims of rapists, bandits, psychopaths. We simply do not have the resources to deal with the rampant crime."

Rei looked down at the ground, where grass was futilely struggling to grow. Nagisa squatted down and forced her to look up, straight into his eyes.

"How are we any different from those suffering in Britain, Germany, Japan? If we do not loot our neighbors, these people will die. What do you recommend I do? Let them die here? Or let them die over there? Make a choice, Ayanami. If you so desire, you can return to the LCL Sea, and I won't have Japan bombed. However, always remember that these people starved because you refused to help us."

_For every sinner a saint,_ thought Rei. Now she understood. _One man's sinner is another' saint_. She understood. Nagisa was helping the only way he could. But what about the people in Britain? Would they not suffer as well?

As if reading her thoughts, Nagisa said, "To quote a saint, 'to act is to sin'. Whatever you do, some will benefit and others will suffer because of it. Choose who you are going to help, and stick with it. Us, or them."

Rei was silent. She was in the horns of a dilemma she had never face under NERV. There was no easy, logical way out. Looking at the ground, she made her way back to the Presidio. She never mentioned the incident again, but Nagisa would always suspect that it made all the difference.

**A/N:** You can put the knives down. You'll get some 1337 Angel pwnage next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Forgive the general freakiness in the battle, but I've been reading Lovecraft. For that matter, I drop two Lovecraft references somewhere in this chapter. Find them, and you get E-cookies

**The Incomprehensible Chaos**

It was a dull day in New York, but that changed a captured Angel walked into town, following a rather large convoy of soldiers. Rei gazed down on the frightened and curious population. It was odd, having the same perspective as a skyscraper in a city grander than Tokyo-3. Well, not so much that it was grander as it didn't have retractable buildings.

Rei watched as soldiers and vehicles began piling onto the dock. She wondered what to do, but it was soon made clear by Nagisa, who she saw standing aboard a capital ship below.

"Rei, there's a specially-designed carrier coming in. It's a few minutes late, so wave to the crowds, or something." He sound ruffled, as if he was not used to public appearances. Rei raised one of Sachiel's arms and waved mechanically. The crowds, gathered around the edge of the base, weren't sure how to respond. This strange spectacle was brought to an end when Rei saw what looked to be a very fat aircraft carrier pulling into harbor. It drew up to the dock, parking just before Sachiel.

"It's the best we could find to carry you to Britain," said Nagisa, via comm. line. "Just climb on and crouch on the fatter part at the front. Rei did so, and though it tipped dangerously, it soon rebalanced.

Within hours, the small US armada began to sale away, leaving a confused city behind. Sachiel crouched aboard the _Harbinger_, a retrofitted aircraft carrier. Nagisa was discussing plans with her. "When we arrive, it'll be up to you to detonate the sea mines on the west coast with your AT Field. Then, we'll engage in a ship-shore battle, and you'll disembark. From there, we'll defend a beachhead while you go in and rip up warehouses."

"Understood," said Rei.

"And try not to damage Sachiel too badly. Quite a lot of effort went into him."

And so, what remained of the US Atlantic Fleet, fifteen ships total, cut across the water. Mist surrounded them, and Rei took the time to muse on her situation.

_Soldiers of the Seven Sins_…

**Surely you didn't think me and my comrades were alone among the cosmic beings?** Sachiel was speaking again.

_I had no reason to believe otherwise_.

**Ha. Ha. Ha. I have mastered the human speech.**

_Congratulations._

**Is that a note of sarcasm from the First Child?**

Rei was confused by this response. _No. I was simply congratulating you on mastering the art of speaking_.

**A curious thing, sarcasm. Saying the opposite of what you mean to drive a point home.**

Rei made no response.

**The Soldiers of the Seven Sins are agents of Satan. His herald and knights, all imprisoned within Pandemonium.**

_I do not understand_.

**Have you ever read _Paradise Lost_?**

_No._

**If you had, you would know that Satan was a rebel against God, and was cast into Hell for his crimes. Then again, God is Dead. There is no reason for his confinement to continue, as there is no one to enforce it. His agents will soon awaken, and search for the components necessary to free their master.**

_What are these components._

**Excuse me for not being familiar with the finer details of the occult.**

He fell silent, perhaps because Rei was called upon to start detonating water mines.

---

Fire. Blood. Chaos. It was night by the time they arrived in the Old World, but blasts made nighttime bright. This truly was 'seething nuclear chaos'. She didn't even know who was winning or who was losing; the anarchy of war surrounded her, consumed her, and cast her out again, only to flood the addled mind of Rei Ayanami once again. Her blade crashed down on a bunker, cleaving it in two. Rivers of blood flowed and flaming clouds rose into the heavens. This was humanity at its lowest, where nothing was sacred and all humanity was forgotten, leaving only the primal beast. However, the beast runs when it cannot fight, and run the British did before the wrath of the Angel of Water. Sachiel strode through them like a king through his palace. The bloodshed approached a crescendo. Rei stood at the apex of it all, and where she stood, blood poured as from fountains.

And as soon as it had begun, it was over. War was hell, and they had escaped it, even if for a short time. Rei stood in a Welsh moor, looking, out towards the country side. London wasn't far, at least from Sachiel's perspective. Then again, he strode upon the Earth as if it were a park.

The British put up a few feeble attempts to resist, but the only real threat was a positron cannon they stationed on a hill. This was easily destroyed, despite the best efforts of a fighter wing. Swatting them likes flies, she turned back to her march towards London. This kind of violence was different. It started one moment and was over the next, the victor standing upon the fallen. It was not the prolonged, incomprehensible chaos of the landing.

London loomed. However, it was not what Rei had expected. The city was completely intact. The government had money to spend on parks, and businesses were actually functioning on their own. Suburban neighborhoods had popped up, and all of the sky-scrapers were occupied. Rei was stunned. How could anyone ignore the suffering in the United States while wallowing in their own decadence? Then Rei felt something entirely different. Righteous anger. She could not allow people to suffer in the Americas while the British were growing fat. Using Sachiel's magnified vision, she read the headline on a newspaper. 'PRIME MINISTER REFUSES TO SEND AID'. More rage flooded Ayanami's veins.

She raised an arm, and emptied an explosive round into a tall building. It fell over sideways, falling into a park. Unknowingly delighting in her vengeance, she demolished more buildings, leaving the city in ruins. Crouching down, she pulled a large food warehouse out by the foundations. Akagi hadn't even realized Sachiel could lift that kind of weight. Stumping out into the countryside, she left England something to remember her by: A crushed Parliament.

---

"Unexpected, admittedly," said Nagisa. Akagi was watching the footage passively, but there was concern in her eyes.

"For all we know, she might decide the government is an oppressive 1984-clone and kill us all," she said.

"I doubt it. Besides, the government _isn't_ oppressive."

"Sure."

"What? The American News Network is completely independent."

"Of course." She glanced at the footage again. "There's nothing we can really do about it. Just keep an eye on her to see she doesn't go crazy. Besides, I want to see how you use this for propaganda."

Nagisa smiled. "We plan to release a photo of the back of Rei's head, showing her speaking to me outside Sachiel. The media will attack it like wild dogs. We'll also release Rei's first name."

"Might get the attention of the Japanese, no?"

"Who cares? Besides, the name has grown in popularity since Third Impact. There are many with the name 'Rei'."

"But only one who can pilot an Eva and has blue hair and small stature."

Nagisa grinned. "Black and white photo."

---

Shinji Ikari did not lead a terribly interesting life. In fact, he did not lead a life at all: he was in stasis. Floating in a vat next to Asuka's tank, he dreamt until he was awoken. Of course, if the latter knew what he was dreaming about, she would probably kill him.

It was just then that a few men in suits, lab coats, and NERV uniforms entered the area. They were led by a man known as Kozou Fuyutski, NERV director and _de facto_ leader of Japan. He looked at both of the tanks were the Second and Third Children slept. Many had met than when they were conscious, few knew they were down her. As far as the public knew, Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langly Soryu no longer existed, either dieing in the fires of Third Impact or in the chaos afterward. Fuyutski was not proud of his deception, however, Gendo's final orders were quite clear: if Project E failed, the remaining Children were to be put into stasis, until such time as the situation demanded their services. And so they were, and it was a good thing too: Fuyutski wasn't sure if he could protect them through all the chaos. Indeed, with wars, but external and internal, economic chaos, and general anarchy, they probably would have died along with so many others.

But now… now the times had demanded their awakening. Once again, America was crawling, backstabbing, and blasting their way to the status of world power. And when maniacs like Americans aim for world domination, the rest of the world suffers.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I like the phrase '_de facto_'.

**Dark Water**

Perhaps Washington, D.C. was technically the capital of the United States, but it was not the _de facto_ capital. San Francisco was the site of most government goings-on, and it was there that the victory celebration was held. Rei herself was baffled at the concept, for she thought war was a necessary evil, but always evil. She also thought that the food present could be put to better use, but there was little she could do to affect that. Nagisa, in his usual blue suit, led her by the hand, guiding her into the center of the US Government. He himself looked displeased with the gathering, and took a seat at a table in the corner. Rei joined him, and they observed the gathered officials passively.

"What is the purpose of this gathering?" Rei asked.

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Nagisa replied. Suddenly, the albino man saw a portly, cheerful fellow making his way towards them. Straightening up, he muttered something about being polite to Rei, but was cut off as the man approached. He wore a grin that seemed a little too big for his face, and looked like he could go with just a little less cake.

"Ah!" he said to Nagisa, "Director Kaworu!" Nagisa looked slightly unsettled, but put on a small smile and adjusted his glasses.

"Sir," he said, friendly. The man patted him on the shoulder, a tad hard. Nagisa didn't resist.

"Oh, you're far to withdrawn," the man said, cheerily. "You really ought to be enjoying yourself more. Thanks to USA-Zero, the raid went off with under a hundred casualties. Relax! You really don't have enough fun."

"With all due respect, sir, I do work for the NSA."

"Heh, that doesn't mean you can't relax every once and a while!" Nagisa opened his mouth to reply, but the man had already turned away.

"Ah! And this is Miss Ayanami!"

"Yes, sir." Rei had gathered that this must be an important man.

He ruffled Rei's hair. "You're a polite one, considering your generation," he said, pleasantly. "I imagine you're lonely. Don't worry, we'll get you some friends ASAP! Oh, there's Director Adams!" He hurried off into the crowd. Rei threw Nagisa a confused look.

"That would be President Billman," said Nagisa, dryly. "Don't ask me how he got elected."

---

When Soryu awoke, she was lying on an observation table in a white-walled room. This was familiar. She got up, and found she was naked. Glancing around nervously, she saw there was one shuttered window, one door, a nondescript bedside stand and a bureau. Opening that latter, she found a simple NERV uniform, and a few of her personal effects. Namely, crap she brought from Germany.

She walked to the door and found it locked. Walking over to the window, she looked out. Beyond it was a desolate urban landscape, smashed and ruined. Way down below, she saw a small parking lot surrounded by tall, concrete walls.

"Hello, Soryu." Asuka jumped nearly ten feet in the air. She whirled around to see professor Fuyutski standing behind her, looking calm as always.

"What the hell is going on!" demanded Asuka.

"You've just been woken from stasis."

"Stasis- What the hell?"

"You've been sleeping for the past year, along with Ikari. Unfortunately, he has not yet awoken from the post-stasis sleep."

"What- who… why?"

"It isn't important."

Asuka looked bewildered and confused. "But-"

"Don't worry, you haven't missed anything. Bloodshed, chaos, anarchy. Things you would have wanted to miss anyhow. Follow me." He turned and walked out the door. Asuka pursued him, still spluttering half-formed questions. They walked down the white-washed corridors, evading the building's staff and other patients. It seemed to be morning, and the calendar in the lobby indicated it to be February the 29th, 2016. A strange date.

"Well, why did you wake me up now?" asked Asuka.

"The Americans," said Fuyutski.

"Huh?"

"The Americans are becoming a threat."

"Uh-" They stepped outside. All around them were ruined buildings. A few stable ones rose up in the distance; Asuka recognized them as being part of Tokyo-2. There was a long silence as the two climbed into a van. The silence stretched out into the ride to NERV, but Asuka was still thinking out questions.

"I still don't know what's going on," she said, as the city loomed in the distance.

Fuyutski turned to her. "The world's in ruins. War rages across every continent, in every nation, and the masses are starving. The environment is almost completely destroyed, and Evas are set to become the world's new dominant weapon. Is that an adequate summary?"

Asuka opened and closed her mouth a few times, then said, "But… Evas… how does anyone else know how to build them?"

"We have reason to believe that a former NERV operative is selling the technology to anyone who will pay. We don't know who, though, although it is almost surely someone who worked under Dr. Akagi."

Then van stopped, and Fuyutski led Asuka into the new NERV headquarters, built from an old army compound.

"What about our Evas?" asked Asuka, musingly.

"Unit 01 was lost during the JSSDF invasion, but Unit 02 has been recovered and repaired." _Ikari, however, is going to pilot something a shade more dangerous_.

Asuka looked pensive as they strode through the dark corridors, NERV staff hurrying around them. They soon find themselves in a makeshift Eva cage, formerly a silo for the infamous N2 Missile. Unit 02 stood there, frozen in Bakelite.

"Umm…"

"In case you are curious, two more pilots have been selected."

Asuka looked up, immediately interested. "Who? Anyone I know?"

"Toji Suzahara has been convinced to rejoin NERV and pilot a rebuilt Unit 04, and Hikari Horaki joined to support her family."

"Ooh! I want to see her!" _Just not that ape_, she thought.

"You will be able to. Of course, there is one piece of bad news…"

"Beyond the fact that the world is back in the dark ages?"

"Misato Katsuragi is dead."

---

Rei sat in the entry plug, looking passive. Another synch test, another day. After leaving the party, they had returned to the Presidio, and that was that. Nothing of any great interest had happened, and Rei was eager (as eager as she could possibly be) to sleep. However, there was still time in the day, and he had insisted on a synch test.

It went off well, with Rei garnering a synch ration of 140.

Meanwhile, in a dusty corner of the Presidio, a soldier was watching a radar screen with increasing curiosity. There was a very large, very fast object falling from orbit with increasing speed. What was it? He wasn't quite sure. Picking up the red phone, he muttered something, then looked with increasing perturbation as the object put on speed. It seemed to be heading for… Reno, Nevada.

---

Sachiel stood on the lip of the crater. This used to be a city. Now it was a hole in the ground to rival oceanic trenches. Rei gazed through the cloud of dust, trying to make out what was in there.

A dull thud. Rei furrowed her brow. Another thud. It sounded almost like giant footfalls. Sachiel took a backward step. A pair of red eyes glowed out of the darkness. Rei stared at them, transfixed. Another thud. The eyes grew brighter, and a vague outline appeared. It seemed to be about as tall as an Eva, with a somewhat anthropomorphic shape. Another step forward, and it became even more distinct. Tentacles sprouted from its back, writhing angrily. Terror suddenly striking, she raised an arm and fired an explosive round. A black liquid splattered the ground as the creature stumbled back, howling. Another round, and its arm was blown off. Stumbling back, it fell to the ground. Rei lowered her arm.

It moved so fast she didn't even see it. Holding her to the ground, the creature began to pummel Sachiel with fists and tentacles. It was distinct, now: built entirely out of a dripping black fluid, it left a trail of slime behind it. The substance pooled beneath it with the consistency of molasses, and stung Sachiel's metallic skin. Rei twisted Sachiel's wrist around, breaking one of her arms free from its grip. Emptying both barrels of her cannon into its chest, she blasted a hole in it and sent the monster flying. Stumbling to her feet, Rei saw the monster had solid, bone-like armor beneath the black fluid. Drawing Sachiel's blade, she adopted a defense posture and waited. The creature charged again, but she could see it this time, side stepping and slicing as she did so. The creature stared at the place where its arm used to be, and then Rei stared as the black liquid began to expand outward, rebuilding the arm. It rushed forward again, one of its tentacles wrapping around Sachiel's wrist. She slashed off the tentacle, which promptly collapsed into black goop, and gashed at its arms and legs furiously. Once, she had slashed off all its limbs, and it had simply supported itself with tentacles while the limbs grew back!

They were knee-deep in the dark liquid by now. Severed limbs were scattered about the battlefield, and Sachiel was stained black by the substance. Lashing out violently, she sliced off the creature's head. It stumbled back, limbs waving around violently. Raising her weapon over her head, Rei cleaved off the creatures right arm, then the regrown head. Vengeance flooded her veins, bloodlust blinded her. Something was contaminating her, she could feel it, but she couldn't think straight. Something erupted within her, and a scream escaped her lips. A glowing cross erupted from the ground, burning away the black liquid and exposing the white, bonelike armor. It was a squat, neckless thing. Rei sliced off its limbs, head, and finally impaled it, and without its black water, it could not rejuvenate.

As Rei began to stumble towards HQ, Sachiel suddenly began speaking. Fear and outrage tinged his voice.

**An abomination! A horror from beyond the stars! My god, I was wrong… I was wrong…**

Rei wasn't in the mood to respond.


	6. Chapter 6

**Stained Angel**

Rei lay on the examination table, naked, staring up at the ceiling with blank eyes. Ritsuko was watching her from the shadows, carefully taking notes on a checkboard as nurses hurried about. Nagisa was watching as well, leaning on a wall with an expression of concern.

Various machines were hooked up to the unfortunate girl, all beeping away. She was at the edge of consciousness, where thought were vague and lines fuzzy. Her head lolled slightly, and she saw the general shape of a respirator. What had happened? Then, a strange, echoing voice filled the air.

"Will she be alright?" Rei was certain Nagisa was speaking.

"Yes. If she isn't listening to us right now, she will be, very shortly. I also am surprised you didn't ask if she could pilot first."

"I try not to be like Gendo."

"Probably wise. Anyway, you'll be happy to know that, once she recovers, she can return to piloting. God knows what Sachiel did to her in there, but it there was no permanent damage."

"Good. Alert me when she wakes up." Nagisa turned and left the room. Rei drifted in and out of consciousness for a few hours, having strange, sometimes indescribably horrific dreams. When she finally came to, she was off the machines and breathing under her own power. A nurse was saying something about not exerting herself, but Rei paid little attention. When she was allowed to leave, Rei wandered aimlessly through the complex, pondering the changes she had been forced to undergo.

Eventually, she returned to room 42, her quarters in the Presidio. Inside, she lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She was like this for several hours before her door opened. She looked at it to see the familiar face of Director Kaworu. His name and appearance were familiar, but she couldn't figure where she'd seen him before.

"Hello, Ayanami," he said. Rei nodded, and he took a seat. "I've come to speak about your future."

Rei didn't respond, but it was a matter she was curious about herself.

"First of all, you probably won't believe me when I say the NSA has no universe-altering secrets; secrets, certainly, but we are not planning to merge the souls of all humanity into a single being, or anything of the kind. We are fighting to keep the United States a coherent nation. You have another eighty years ahead of you, as opposed to fourteen."

To Rei, this was a bit of a revelation. She had never been intended to live past fourteen years.

"What do you want to do?"

This was a starting question. No one had asked her before, and she had no real answer. Nagisa watched her for a few moments, glanced up at the ceiling, and left. Rei looked over and saw that he had abandoned a few books on her desk. Walking over, she saw a note attached to it: "Rei, I don't know about your tastes in reading, but so I included a variety of material. Try to develop an interest in something; you're going to need one."

Rei couldn't deny his position, and looked at the books. He had given her a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_, a book by Ian Flemming called _Casino Royale_, and a gruesomely illustrated book titled _The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre_. She took the three over to her bed and began to read.

---

Two old friends were discussing matters in the women's locker room of NERV-2.

"You were frozen?" asked Hikari, looking concerned.

"Not exactly," Asuka said, "I was sleeping in a tube thing, far underground."

"Why?"

"I can't quite figure that out," said Asuka, pensively. "Fuyutski said something about waiting until our abilities to become useful."

Hikari looked like she was about to say something, then thought better of it. "Well, the important thing is that you're awake now."

An impatient voice sounded over the loudspeaker, and they had to leave in a hurry.

The Eva was familiar, as Asuka climbed into it. _Mama_. Unit 02 had been repaired, albeit cheaply. A few plates of grey steel garishly broke up the red. The right arm had been lost, and was replaced by a red limb that ended in three razor-sharp claws. Unfortunately, it also lacked a thumb, so Asuka's ability to use a rifle relied entirely on her left hand.

"What happened to _my_ Unit 02!" demanded Asuka.

"Sorry," said Maya, apologetically. "We didn't have the right parts to fix up Unit 02, as the spares are still in Germany. This is the best we could throw together." Asuka felt a little pissed, but didn't protest any further as she attempted to synch with Unit 02 once again.

"It's sleeping demon!" said Toji, mockingly.

"Toji!"

"The ape survived. The wonders never cease."

"At least-"

Maya cut in. "Knock it off. Beginning test… now!" The bridge staff watched curiously as the synch meters started climbing. Hikari, in her salvaged MP Eva, came in last. Toji came in second, only a few points below a triumphant Asuka, with a synch ratio of 78.

"Haha, I knew a rookie like you couldn't beat me!" teased Asuka, as she climbed out of the entry plug.

"I'm not a rooky," countered Toji. "I piloted Unit 04 back in the day."

"And it went berserk," countered Asuka.

"It was Bardiel's fault!"

"Stop fighting," said Hikari, playfully. "You sound like a parent warning a child that the Angels will get them if they don't go to sleep!"

The exchange continued until they got into their separate dressing rooms.

---

"So… what was it?" asked Nagisa. He and Ritsuko were in a lab, looking at a plastic tube filled with a black liquid.

"It appears to be a living liquid. Formerly living, that is; it has a short lifespan after being secreted."

"I see."

"It regenerates the… thing's… limbs after they've been hacked off. But that's not their oddest property."

"Oh?"

"It mutates any organic material it touches, usually resulting in death."

"And this means…?"

"Well… follow me. This happened early in the morning while you were asleep."

She led Nagisa through the twisting corridors to the Eva cage. She looked slightly nervous. Director Kaworu's brow was furrowed in confusion. Then, he saw Sachiel.

"My… god…" he whispered. Sachiel's blue armor had been completely eroded, and was replaced by thick, shiny black armor. He had grown a few extra fingers, and the cannons on either hand had been covered almost completely. The sword had been mutated into an axe, and the bird-mask was now edged with spines."Is… he still viable?"

"The entry plug survived. Sachiel himself suffered no damage. The footage of the event shows him beginning to secrete it at about one o'clock this morning. It hardened shortly thereafter into… this."

"What happened, exactly?"

"It seems that the liquid from the alien – designated Verrine – caused Sachiel's DNA to mutate radically."

"I… see."

"We'll still have to attempt synching Rei with it, but I believe it will work."

"Yes… schedule a synch test as soon as possible. I'll… be in my office."

Ritsuko glanced at Rei's schedule, then at her own. No reason why it couldn't be now.

---


	7. Chapter 7

**Mutation**

Ritsuko leaned back. "The fact is, it's affecting her brain chemistry. The device was experimental, you know."

"Yes…" Nagisa leaned back, pensive.

"Look!" said Ritsuko. "Her heart rate, respiration, and adrenaline levels all shot up when she was in England. It went even higher when she was fighting Verrine."

"Yes."

"You don't seem to understand."

"Oh? Last time I checked, the synch test was a success. 150 synch ratio."

"That's the point! If she has another one of her 'episodes', she could kill us all!"

Silence. "I am confident she won't."

"What! How!" howled Ritsuko. "Understand me! Without the pills, Rei is walking a very fine line between total madness and god-like power. _Very_ fine. One wrong move could push her into psychopathy."

Nagisa leaned back, steepling his fingers. "Trust me." Ritsuko threw her hands up in disgust, and stormed towards the door.

"But before you leave in a huff, you should read this," said Nagisa, pushing a paper across the desk towards her. Ritsuko grabbed it up and began reading. Her eyes widened.

"The _military_? Surely, you're not leaving the NSA."

"Oh, but I am. I'll be the first commander of the US Army Evangelion Corp. They're the weapons of the future, as you well know."

"Yes… how is it that you can afford Evas and not food?"

"Money doesn't grow food."

---

Rei feared Sachiel, ever since that battle. Whenever she entered the entry plug, she had the sensation of being mutated and warped. This, obviously, was not happening, but it felt as if something were slithering up inside her. The horror of the battle with Verrine had disturbed her, but the black armor disturbed her more. No further communication came from the Angel, except for shadows of thoughts.

Lugging the Unit across the United States (transports were too expensive), Rei watched the onlookers impassively. The onlookers, however, were looking on with a mix of fear and gratitude. Rei wondered why. Sachiel had become a monster.

They were being moved to a base in Seattle, supposedly because an advanced deployment system was being developed there. Also, the United States had been rooting through NERV-Massachusetts' old computer system, and found three possible US Pilots. None of them were going to be used by the old NERV, but they could be put to good use in the new world.

Rei didn't particularly care.

---

The silence was painful.

Asuka never realized how comforting the constant noise of Misato's apartment was. There was always Misato's 'beer whoop', Shinji's cello, or the jarring blare of TV. One probably couldn't get her to admit it, but she wanted a roommate. Shinji, to be specific, but, once again, you couldn't get her to admit it.

So, once again, the silence was painful.

But this (un)fine evening, she had company. Hikari Horaki, to be specific.

"YOU'RE LIVING WITH THAT APE!" demanded Asuka.

Hikari flinched. "Well, yes, but it's only because… uh… ok, yeah, I am."

Asuka sighed. "Ugh, I expected the sun to explode first…"

"You're not mad?" asked Hikari, hopefully.

"As a friend… I have to support you… but I _don't _have to like it."

"Thanks, Asuka!"

That night, it was just Asuka and Hikari. Thankfully for all involved, Hikari had prepared the dinner, and it was a fine evening.

"What happened?" asked Asuka.

"Huh?"

"I mean, everyone's really vague about what happened while I was asleep. I know about a year past…"

Hikari looked at the ground, a strange expression on her face. Asuka wondered if she had said something wrong.

"It was… was… Hell. I didn't know what was going on… there was gunfire and chaos everywhere… Men with guns went from town to town, killing and raping… I lived in a ditch with Toji for three months…"

There was a long silence as Hikari began to sob. Asuka put a comforting arm around her.

"It was so horrible! The looters… they'd kill entire camps for no reason! They'd take woman to their fortress and rape them over and over… But Toji took care of me… But then- then-"

Asuka dreaded what she might hear.

"I saw it… the Forest of Corpses… some men… they captured a whole town and impaled them on stakes… then they hung them up… it could take some days to die! I cried for days… Toji… he was so nice to me…"

There was a long, pained silence.

---


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** In hindsight, writing this while listening to the Excel Saga theme was unwise.

**The Madman's Song**

_God does not place dice with the universe._

- Albert Einstein

Rei looked over the concrete platform. The twisted being once called Sachiel was kneeling behind her. Its white mask leered out at the concrete platform. In the distance, she saw the Space Needle, one of the few landmarks to survive both Impacts.

"Hello, Rei, have a pleasant trip?" enquired Nagisa. A VTOL took off in the distance, leaving behind the staff and the familiar brunette Rei kept seeing.

"No, sir," she replied.

"Ha, bringing your signature dryness to bare, I see... And here they come."

"Sir?"

"The Second, Third and Fourth US Pilots."

Rei turned to look at them. They were walking across the concrete platform, after leaving the two-story steel building that comprised the newly-established headquarters of the US Evangelion Corp. Two of the Pilots stopped and stared at Sachiel's terrible visage, shocked. One, however, drew close enough to be clearly seen. He was almost as pale as Rei; his eyes were red as hers. His hair, however, was dark as Gendo Ikari's. He bore a slight smile and wore a black suit with white gloves.

He got within speaking distance. "Hello, Commander Kaworu," he said, softly. His voice was dry and almost mocking.

"Ah, Pilot Sainman," said Nagisa, genially. "I trust you had a pleasant trip."

"Of course," he replied. "Sachiel has changed since I last saw him."

"Routine upgrades," said Nagisa, calmly. Rei glanced at him, but Sainman didn't seem to notice.

"I see…"

"Don't worry, your Evangelion is in the final stages of production," said Nagisa, with a mocking, almost mocking smile.

"Thank you, Commander Kaworu," said Sainman, softly, and stepped back. The other two were approaching.

"Matthew Sainman," muttered Nagisa, to Rei. "Born in 2001 in Innsmouth, Massachusetts, he grew up in Boston. Nothing of any great interest is in history… Of course, NERV wiped all the files on him shortly before the JSSDF invaded Tokyo-3. We recovered oh-so-little."

"What about the Second and Third?" enquired Rei.

"Siblings, James and Sarah Connoway, children of the Secretary of Defense, ironically. Both born in San Francisco. Both thoroughly unremarkable, I assure you."

When they finally worked up the courage to approach, both children were thoroughly unwilling to approach Rei. They looked on her with a mix of awe and fear. Sainman simply smiled his mocking smile. Following behind the three newcomers was a middle-aged solider.

"Sir," said the soldier, addressing Nagisa.

"Ah, Lieutenant Braddock. Please escort the Pilots to their respective rooms. Dr. Akagi and I will be going to the Command Bridge."

And soon, Sainman, the Connoway children, and Rei were maneuvering the winding underground facilities of the USEC HQ. Eyes darting about, Rei quickly catalogued all the twists and turns. Based on Sainman's careful examination of the hallways, so did he. The other two just looked bewildered.

Finally, Sainman and Rei were both shunted into a large room, occupied by an ancient television, a small collection of books, a kitchen, some furnishings, and two bedrooms. The male absentmindedly threw a bag into one of the bedrooms. He then sat down in a chair with a book. Rei sat opposite of him with her own book. The silence stretched on until the call for a synch test.

-

"So…" muttered Ritsuko, leaning back in her chair. Nagisa, now in uniform, watched the footage impassively. It was of poor quality, but what he saw was quite clear: a white Russian Evangelion sparring with an orange Evangelion, apparently in mortal combat. The orange Eva brought an axe down, slicing off the white's forearm. The white one howled with rage and slashed viciously with a lance. Its opponent stumbled back – there was a brief break in the footage – and then the Orange Eva was fleeing. However, now the Union Jack was clearly displayed on its shoulder.

"Do we know anything about this event?"

"Sir," said Braddock, stepping forward, "From what we can extrapolate, the British assaulted Russian soldiers in Norway early last morning. Our agents observed the battle, and smuggled the footage to the USA."

"So, we know the Russians have one or more MP Eva. What else?"

"Nothing. We can't even figure out where they're hiding it. Of course, Russia is a big place, sir."

"Sir, with all do respect, the Connoway Children are in no way prepared to pilot an Eva under actual combat circumstances, and we don't know what might happen if we send Sachiel in," he added.

"How far away is Sainman's Eva?"

"Two weeks from completion."

"I see. There is little we can do now."

"And what of the destruction of Nevada, if I may ask, sir?" enquired Braddock.

"No idea," said Ritsuko, bluntly.

-

_Go forth, my brothers! For even if you die, it is all in the name of the Great One!_

-

A meteor cut through the sky, smashing into a small town in Alaska. The flames were seen for miles around a monster rose to its feet. It was covered eyes and jaws; a palm with a mouth rose up, and a terrible, lurid glow lit the night. Where the glow shown, fires erupted, and skin burned.

The monster put a step forward, moving towards Seattle.

-

"We don't know what it is," said Nagisa, over the radio. "It seems to have some sort of beam-based weapon. The Connoway Children are being prepared to launch.

Rei had just discovered the creative new deployment method: launching an Eva out of a disarmed Inter-continental Ballistic Missile, to be dropped over the target. This was very unsettling, as one can imagine.

Finally, the bottom of the missile dropped out, and Sachiel was falling. He hit the ground with the thud, and Rei quickly got her bearings. The thing was coming from the North, marching towards Seattle. The Air Force kept making passes at the thing, but their weapons were worthless.

Rei drew the axe – it felt odd – and took a defensive posture against the thing.

**Asmodeus…**

Rei furrowed her brow and kept concentrated. The alien continued its approach.

Suddenly, it lunged forward, fingers like knives. Rei swung the axe around, putting a cut in its armor. She brought claws down on its head, dragging them across the armor. She cut through an eye, sending a strange, red liquid pouring down it. The fifty or so other eyes were all focused on her.

Suddenly, Asmodeus leapt back and raised its palm. Rei raised her AT Field just in time to stop the weapon. The ground between her and it was scorched black. Finally, the beam ceased. Rei charged forward and swung with her axe, severing the monster's leg. It fell backwards. Rei rasied the blade over her head and smashed it down into its chest. It twitched and raised its hands to defend, but Rei sliced both of them off with vicious swipes. Finally, she raised the blade over her head and brought it down with one, terrible strike, crushing Asomdeus's skull.

Then something terrible happened.

Sachiel began to eat the corpse.

Twisted music began to play in Rei's ears. She recognized it. It was still in the back of her mind, she'd heard it during Third Impact. Yes...

_There's a man in a cloak,  
He's watchin' mechoke,  
He's a' whistlin' a tune,  
It'll be over soon,  
It's called the Madman's Song!_

Something strange was at work here...


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Would you believe me if I told you I was listening to the Mario Brothers theme while writing this?

**Rude Awakening**

Shinji's eyes opened. The world was blurred for a moment. It was a hospital; this scenario was familiar. A crash. Shinji jumped. An Evangelion had just put its foot down outside of his room. He stared, dumbfounded. No blurriness now; adrenaline flooded his veins. There was a series of blasts, and the Eva stumbled back. He stumbled to the window, and looked out. Four MP Evas, each with the Russian flag tattooed on its shoulder, had surrounded a Japanese MP Eva, Unit 04, and what appeared to be a salvaged Unit 02. Of all the things Shinji thought he would see, this was not one of them.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Six agents in suits looked at him menacingly. Shinji stared back. They both advanced and grabbed him by the shoulders. Outside, he found the familiar form of Professor Fuyutski.

"Hello, Ikari," said the Professor, seriously.

"What is going on?" demanded Shinji.

Fuyutski looked startled. "He shouldn't be _that_ lucid…" the older man whispered, under his breath.

"_What is going on_?" demanded Shinji.

"We're under attack," said Fuyutski, regaining his composure. He turned on his heel and led Shinji out of the building, flanked by the suited men.

They were evacuating the hospital. Nurses and doctors were loading ambulances and retrofitted eighteen-wheelers with patients to be taken to NERV's underground shelters. Shinji was guided out, led by Fuyutski and six suited men. He was loaded into an APC with eight wheels and rolled towards a distant city.

"Explain," commanded Shinji. His voice carried an ominous tone.

"We're being assaulted by Russian Evangelions," said Fuyutski, bluntly.

"Ah," said Shinji. Fuyutski glanced sidelong at the boy. He expressed no bewilderment, no confusion. All his face betrayed was a calm, assertive demeanor. Something had changed in him, deep inside.

"What about Asuka?" Shinji enquired.

"She's already awoken and has gone into battle."

"I see."

Shinji stared absently out of the vehicle's window. The battle raged beyond, as weapons sliced and blasted. What appeared to be a crudely reassembled Unit 02 emptied a rifle into a Russian's chest at point blank range, sending the enemy Eva flying across the field. It lay dormant, smashed entry plug visible amongst the gore. Shinji turned away from the violence and looked out over the dull field. Lurid skies, dead grass, ruined buildings… red, brown, and grey. How fitting.

They rolled into the city, leaving the battle behind. Shinji was led out of the APC and down through NERV's new headquarters. They entered an elevator, and down, down they went, away from Asuka and whoever the others were. Shinji stared at the wall. Fuyutski watched him impassively. Something strange was going on within that boy.

Finally, the elevator ground to a halt.

"Now, Ikari, your Evangelion is going to be a shade different." Shinji stepped out of the shadows.

"I've seen all there is to see, Fuyutski. I know about your 'backup' plan and I know full well the sick parody of Unit 01 you are about to show me. Do not patronize me, Professor." The boy's voice had become dark – almost as dark as his father's. Fuyutski took a step back, as his guards took a step forwards. There was a long silence.

"Turn on the lights," Fuyutski said, calmly. The lights flared to life. Standing before the young Ikari was a monster. Green armor covered something that resembled unit 01. Its arms hung limply, ending in long, razor claws. The creature had three eyes, two naturally placed while one was in the middle of its forehead. Its teeth were bared in a crazed grin, and a series of spines emerged from its back.

"It is-" began Fuyutski, but was cut off.

"It is a monster," said Ikari.

Fuyutski considered speaking, but rather paused.

"It is a monster I can control," said the boy, now fifteen. "I shall wield it. But be warned, when the hour is at hand, I shall thwart you."

"Of course," said Fuyutski, a smile playing across his lips. Now, now the old man knew who the 'real' enemy was.

-

The thing rose from the depths of NERV. Asuka looked over her shoulder to see it; a creature from madmen's nightmares. Its grin never left its face as it leapt into battle, claws outstretched. Its grin never left its face as its claws ripped into an enemy's chest, dragging out the entry plug and crushing it. And its grin never left its face as it turned to look at Asuka, almost malevolently. The redhead stared, dumbfounded.

A voice whispered across the comm.

"Hello, Asuka." It was a low, dry voice. But she would recognize it anywhere: that was Shinji Ikari's voice. "It has been a while, but I trust you are still the same as the last time I looked into your soul."

The Evangelion (though she was loathe to call it that) left before she could reply. And, at the edge of her perception, she could have sworn he added: "And look whose listening in…"

-

Ayanami awoke with a gasp. She was sweaty, and her eyes were bloodshot. She was not supposed to dream; of that she was certain. And she could have sworn the boy mentioned her, right at the end. He was familiar; she had definitely seen him before, from a god's eye view.

This was absurd. Dreams are delusion, nothing more. She lay back in her bed, hoping to get some rest. But something was wrong, she knew it. There was an evil in him, or perhaps simply something different. Alien, different, whatever it might be, it was not meant to be there. She had the creeping feeling she might shed his blood one day, or else he would shed hers.

Delusion. Nothing more. If such an event had occurred, Nagisa would be aware of it, and would deliver a briefing on it the next morning. Obviously, he would not, for he could not possibly be aware of her delusions.

Of course, the next morning, Ayanami was in for a surprise.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I disturbed myself with this chapter.

**The Rebels**

Rei climbed over the ruins. Seattle loomed in the distance, silhouetted by the sunset. Finding a flat piece of concrete, Rei sat down, cross-legged. There, she contemplated the ruination around her. The water had smothered much of debris, broken only by islands of stone, brick, and steel. Ancient cars were still scattered here and there. A few forgotten street signs marked the ancient roadways. It was a testimony to stagnation, an ode to despair, a triumph of the bleak.

Her contemplations were interrupted by the sound of a pipe organ. Eyes flying open, she quickly scanned the region for the offender. There was nothing that could be creating it… Her eyes fell upon an old church. It was situated on a hill, and had miraculously (so to speak) survived both Second Impact and Third. Adroitly leaping across ruins, she made her way over to the roofless building.

She recognized the music. It was _Fugue in D Minor_, the famous Bach piece associated with Halloween and vampires. As it reached a mighty crescendo, a wave of memories struck the cliffs of her mind: an early part of her life, walking through the streets on Halloween, guided by the now-despised Gendo Ikari.

Finally, she arrived in the church's garden. Walking amongst the ancient tombstones, she felt the doom, she felt the despair, but she did not surrender to it. Passing through the ancient doorway, Rei stood behind the offending organist. Drawing the piece to a close, the musician straightened his back and turned around.

"Sainman," said Rei, calmly.

"Ayanami," he replied.

There was a long silence. Finally, the boy climbed to his feet. He took a few steps forward.

Standing before Rei, he caressed her chin. "In Innsmouth, a girl would be horrified if she were alone with a boy in a deserted church, with no one to 'rescue' her." There was a pause. "It was a rather puritanical community." He walked up to a window and looked through the pieces of stained glass that remained.

"We are in Seattle," said Rei, wisely, "as opposed to Innsmouth." Sainman glanced at her, smiling faintly.

"You want to rebel, but you don't know how," said Sainman, quietly. "You wish to return to the LCL Sea, but you can't."

Rei looked at the ground.

"There is a way you can rebel," said Sainman.

Rei glanced up. Sainman was at the door now. She quickly made after him. They made their way across the debris. Both moved quite adroitly over the ruins, quickly reaching the top of a pile of concrete, steel, and ancient cars.

"There's more than one way to rebel, Ayanami. Of course, you know all about that. You rebelled against Ikari, and you tried to rebel against Kaworu. Yet he has you trapped with more than just a twisted sense of blind loyalty."

There was a long silence as Rei watched the great red sun full towards the horizon. She hated red, she'd hated it a long time ago. But now… Now, she just felt dull and tired. She wanted to lie down and let the world flow past her, around her, and through her. It took her a few moments to realize she had fallen backwards. She also found her head was resting in Sainman's lap.

"The fact is; we're a pair of rebels in a world that refuses in a care. We're a pair of rebels who fight an unwinnable war against an unjust system. We're two of a kind, Ayanami, in more ways than one."

She stared at him. He stared back.

"Why does no one care?" asked Ayanami.

"They believe it is better to rule in hell then to serve in heaven."

"Then what are we fighting for?"

He stroked her blue hair for the a moment. "Piece, justice…" He paused. "Even love," he whispered. Ayanami had no idea how to take the last comment. Sainman saw the incomprehension in her eyes, and smiled sadly.

"You are not matured, not yet. But one day, you'll understand me and I will understand you. You see, the stars are singing our fates."

She was baffled.

"We should return," he said, sadness still tingeing his voice. "They will be expecting us."

He got up, leaving Rei on her back. The Nephilium climbed to her feet, and followed him. They walked in an almost awkward silence, until Sainman spoke for that last time.

"We're two of a kind, you and I. In more ways than one.

-

Shinji Ikari was serenely playing his cello. No one could hear him, save the guards outside, and Shinji suspected that they did not have terribly great taste in music. So, the young one played unappreciated.

The familiar sound of the door being was heard, but the cellist ignored it. Fuyutski stepped into the Shinji's quarters – more like a cell.

"We can find no reason to hold you," said the old man, looking neutral.

"Good." The cellist played on.

"You will be placed with Asuka Sohryu."

"Ah."

"You leave now." Ikari immediately stopped playing.

"Excellent," the boy said, climbing to his feet. Fuyutski noticed the boy had already packed his things, as if he had already known. It was, of course, inevitable. Fuyutski didn't like releasing the strange kid, but he liked to pretend that the people had some rights. It was not like he wasn't being watched.

-

Asuka sat opposite him, eating absently. Yes, Shinji had known that he would end up cooking dinner. He had not expected to be chastised for sleeping too long.

"You're supposed to be the 'great' Ikari," she fumed. "Why weren't you up sooner? Lazy Dumkopf… Hikari got seriously hurt! You should have seen Toji with her…"

Shinji just let the rant roll off his back. It was not his fault.

"Are you listening to me?" she demanded, as he went to bed.

"No," he replied as he shut the door, leaving a baffled Asuka. The redhead almost wanted him to go back to being permanently sorry. This Shinji was almost frightening.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I disturbed myself even more with this chapter. Yeah. (Written while listening to Magical Trevor)

**Arael**

Shinji Ikari watched the comatose girl through the plexiglass window. When NERV had salvaged what it could from the four Russian Evangelions, she had been found, miraculously alive. The youth pushed open the door and walked inside, listening to the steady beeps of the heart monitor and the inhale-exhale of the respirator.

Standing by her bedside, Shinji finally got a good look at her fine features. She had dark brown hair reaching her shoulders, a sharp face, and pale skin. A livid scar cut across her forehead, a gift from the 'thing' that Fuyutski called Eva Unit 05. Shinji caressed her cheek, feeling the soft, warm skin. His hand trailed down her chest, where he fondled one of her bosoms. He gradually unbuttoned her hospital gown, and her chest was left bare. Stroking it, he found it was warm too, and becoming firm. He was grinning all the while.

Shinji's demented smirk grew wider. He explored the sleeping girl, inch by inch. A stain spread around her crotch as the heart monitor began to beep faster. Shinji kneeled down, and whispered in her ear.

"I could violate you even further," he murmured. "I could screw you and leave you pregnant. Of course, you know all about violation, Arael." With that, Shinji left the innocent Russian. Mere hours later, her eyes opened, and they were red.

-

Shinji pushed open the apartment door. Inside, Asuka sat upon the couch, reading out of a newspaper. This was the first time that Shinji had seen her reading a newspaper, and briefly wondered why. Then, he remembered the lack of television.

He was making his way to his room when Asuka ambushed him.

"And where have _you_ been?" she asked, accusatorily.

Shinji looked at her sidelong. "What do you mean by that?"

"You've been out since eight this morning, and now it's two," the girl replied. "Who have you been seeing?"

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?"

Asuka blushed bright red. "NO!" she shouted.

"Then why do you care?"

"Uh… I'm just curious!"

"I visited the Russian the hospital."

"What did you do?" demanded Asuka. "You have a bad track record with catatonic girls!"

Shinji shrugged. "I paid my respects." With that, he disappeared into his room.

-

"Someone definitely…" the technician coughed. "Touched her."

"Who?" said Fuyutski, looking at the young woman.

"That's the problem. An AT Field destroyed all cameras along the route."

"Excuse me?"

"We found signs of an AT Field Spike within all of the cameras. They had been shattered from within."

Fuyutski furrowed his brow. "Who could do that?"

The technician had no reply.

-

Ayanami's day began with the 1812 Overture. She did not particularly appreciate this piece of music, especially when it woke her up with cannon blasts. However, she was not one to go out of her way to deal with such annoyances, so she did her best to ignore the music and go about getting dressed. On the other hand, unlike certain people she had known, Sainman did not object to her walking around naked while she dressed. This was a small improvement over Ikari.

Stepping out in her new military uniform (a grey outfit that suspiciously resembled her school uniform), Ayanami glanced at herself in the mirror. Somehow, she did not like it. It was a deviation from what she was used to, a violation of an inner code of conduct that was not to be violated.

"It looks nice, Ayanami," remarked Sainman. She glanced at him, almost venomously.

They strode down the hall, in perfect step. They both took seats at the briefing room, and waited for it to begin. Another round of synch testing and training simulation. After this dull exercise, they were in for tests. It was just then that Something Happened.

It started as a blip on the radar, a few miles out to sea. Then, it was sighted off the coast of Philadelphia – a British fleet, carrying Evangelions.

Sachiel was launched posthaste. Rei still disliked the sickening feeling of flying in at mach six in a device formerly used to rain nuclear destruction on millions, but she repressed the feeling as usual and focused on the information coursing across through the Entry Plug's display. There was a battle to be fought.

The fleet began to open up on the shore. The Philadelphians scattered into ancient shelters as Rei returned fire. The exchange grew more vicious as more British ships pulled into harbor and aircraft roared overhead. Rei stood above it all, untouched by the shells and bullets. Her blood started to boil, she'd felt this before – and it was all over. Sachiel stumped into the harbor and started capsizing the ships one by one. Air strikes did nothing to slow her gruesome progress through the sea.

Suddenly, something tackled her from behind. Clawing blindly behind her back, she started fighting with the Brits' Eva, an orange machine with six eyes. Violently slashing it with claws and axe, she drove it back only to be assaulted by another one from behind. The violence flowed through her, around her, until she was death itself. Not even a third Eva slowed her down. Slicing off one of her attacker's arms, she started to growl incoherently and attack everything she saw. Her radio said something about a direct order to cease fire on the city, but she ignored it – this was Too. Much. Fun.

And then she blacked out.

-

Rei woke up. Sachiel was face down on the ground. Power was dead. The albino was dully aware of blood dripping from her mouth. She felt sick, and threw up on the controls. She was dully aware of the rage that had consumed her during the battle, and it scared her. Yes, best to just let her life slip away right here, ankle-deep in the half-drained LCL, just to let all of her blood drain to the floor.

Red – she had hated the color. However, that hatred had collapsed into a dull ache. Everything had fallen into that dull ache. Her profound dislike for the entire world order, her feelings of helplessness, it all came back to nothing. She was alone in a world that refused to care.

Sainman clambered onto Sachiel, still dressed in his dull black suit and gloves. He was angry his Eva had arrived too late to help, he was angry that those Conoway idiots hadn't helped, but above all else he was guilty that he could not save Rei from Sachiel.

Standing on the Angel, he grasped the superheated entry plug hatch and twisted it, ignoring the agony of his hands blistering. It flew open, and he poked his head inside. Horror gripped him – was Rei dead? – but her eyes slowly opened. He smiled, but not his mocking grin, but something warm.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Written while listening to Right Said Fred's _I'm Too Sexy_. Which is, when you think about it, kind of ironic. On another note… STARBUCKS SURVIVED SECOND AND THIRD IMPACT! OMGWTFBBQ!1!11

**Perversion**

_There's somethin' happenin' here,_

_What it is ain't exactly clear…_

- Buffalo Springfield, _For what it's worth_

Arael let the sun touch her face. The two suited men stood behind her, looking ominous. The Russian girl stretched, working out the weakness and cramps earned from a week of sleep.

They were idiots, each and every one. This is what she thought as she was escorted to a van and driven to her future. They were idiots. Precious few people understood the bigger game of cosmic chess being played out upon Creation, but she did, yes… and so did the one who came in the hospital. She felt warm just thinking about him, and she didn't even know what he looked like. At least, she _hoped_ it was a he.

The car was pulling over. Arael was roughly pushed out of the van and led into a one-room, single-story house. Pushed inside, Arael was suddenly alone. She walked around the rooms. Bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and living room: evidently, they weren't the types to provide much more than the bare necessities.

Hell, she didn't even remember who they were. Her memories were jumbled. As she slumped on the couch, she sifted through her addled mind in an attempt to draw a definite picture of the world she lived in. Nothing. Just memories of snow, snow, and more snow.

It was right then that she noticed something. Scanning the living room, her eyes caught a glance of a drawing pad and set of colored pencils. Instantly fascinated, she walked over and opened it to a blank page. An image came to her; she grabbed the black pencil and began to draw.

Hair. Messy hair. She finished the outline of that, the drew a face for it. Colors, now; big, mud-colored eyes. Same color for the hair; the skin was colored a pale brown. She leaned back, looking pensive. She didn't even know who this fellow was, yet she felt a strange familiarity…

There was a knock at the door. Annoyed, she got up and opened it. Standing before her was the boy she had drawn. The shock must have shown her face.

"Hello," he said, "I am called Shinji Ikari."

She recognized him, and it sent a thrill through her, right down to her...

"Welcome back to the land of living, old friend," the boy added, his eyes turning a shade redder, just for a moment.

-

Rei was sitting on an old bridge, legs dangling off the side. Sainman was doing likewise; she was leaning on Sainman's shoulder. One year ago, she could have never imagined herself in this situation, but things could change faster than she ever realized. There was a strange air between them; something familiar, something like Ikari… This was all observed via spy drone, which in turn was transmitting the data to a monitor the Seattle Base of the US Evangelion Corp.

"Match made in heaven," remarked Nagisa, watching impassively. He glanced at Rei's folder absently. "No pun intended."

"What do you intend to do about this?"

"Nothing."

Ritsuko was visibly startled. "You do know what happened last time she got emotionally attached to someone." She pointed out a window towards the desolate landscape.

"Yes, Dr. Akagi, but we're not planning to overthrow God."

"You just want to loot the nations of the world."

Nagisa smiled faintly. "Nothing of the kind."

Ritsuko looked back the footage. "I listened to some sound tapes recorded in their room… they're still addressing each other by their last names. They don't even sound any different when they talk to each other!"

"Oh?"

Ritsuko searched for the right words. "Most teenagers I know would be all over each other by this point. This… they're acting as if they have known each other for years."

"Huh… well, given their background, perhaps they have." Nagisa turned to leave.

"I get the strange feeling you're not telling me something," said Ritsuko, taking a step forward.

"Why, Doctor, whatever would that be?" With that, the director left.

-

Asuka was suspicious. Shinji kept leaving home, ever since the Russian got out of the hospital, and coming back a little more rumpled. Furthermore, she wanted to know why that invader wasn't in a prison cell four hundred feet underground. While the redhead acknowledged that the POW had nowhere to go and was being watched at all times, it struck her as being too much of a risk.

As such, the German resolved to follow Shinji around, not stopping to consider this was the sort of perverted behavior that she had repeatedly accused Shinji of. So, putting to use the 'check if your boyfriend is cheating on you' training given to her by Misato, Asuka prepared for her mission. Binoculars? Check. Camera? Check. Large, blunt weapon? _Very _check.

She was ready. Surreptitiously following her roommate, she tracked him through the city center, passed the reestablished shopping mall, around the civil services' buildings, and back into the mall and into the food court. There, he picked up a Starbucks coffee and a package of condoms.

Yes, that is correct. The horror Asuka felt in her heart was indescribable. However, some inner psychological power demanded she get conclusive evidence. Following her comrade around, he finally approached the Russian's house. With a subtle glance around him, Ikari knocked. The Russian opened the door and met Shinji with a kiss.

Once again, Asuka's horror was indescribable.

-

When Shinji returned to his apartment, he sensed something was wrong. Perhaps it was the fact that Asuka wasn't lounging on the couch, or perhaps it was the collection of photos on the table. Either way, Shinji knew that he was endangered by the redhead, and tried to evade her; alas, it was to no avail.

"How do you explain this?" demanded Asuka, shoving a photo of Shinji and Arael kissing into Shinji's face.

Shinji stared at it. "Stalker. And yet you accuse me of perversion…"

"ANSWER!"

"Why do you care?"

She stared at him. "Because- Because-"

"Because you have no answer," Shinji replied, and left for his room. "Or more specifically, you won't give an honest answer."

"Hey! Wait-" But Shinji shut the door in her face, and, for one the few times in her life, Asuka felt helpless.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Written while listening to AC/DC's _Highway to Hell_. I also find this chapter deeply ironic.

**Midway**

Sainman felt mild cheer at the arrival of USA-04. It was a black, almost feral Eva, with specialized claws designed to rip through armor. Right now, it was crouched, a gun slung over its shoulder. The cannon was bigger than a navy destroyer and deadlier, too – a metal slug moving at a considerable fraction of the speed of light will punch a hole in anything, perhaps even an AT Field.

Looking through the scope, he scanned the coast. They would be here any minute now…

Something dropped from the sky. No, three things – Almost the entire Japanese Eva corps. He pulled the trigger, and a bullet ripped into the chest of the white Eva. Emptying the clip, Sainman shed the weapon and joined the fray. Metal roars filled the air; rockets cut through the sky as the regular armies opened fire.

Rei was fighting Japan-Four; she recognized it and did her best not to think about her old comrade inside. Emptying a canon round into its chest, she drove Toji – she assumed it was him - back and turned on the red one. Asuka, she assumed: this one was a little easier to fight. As she dragged her claws across unit 02's armor, she found herself stabbed with a prog knife. Ignoring the searing pain in her shoulder, Rei began to rain blows down on the red skin. The black fluid was flowing freely from her wound, and the corrupt susbance corroded Asuka's armor where it splattered. Rei brought doubled fists down on Asuka's head, then kneed her in the chest. Unit 02 stumbled back.

"Aid the Conoways, Ayanami," came Nagisa's voice came, slightly exasperated. Rei looked over her shoulder to see the two Conoway Children standing back to back, being harassed by the highly mobile Unit 04. As Sainman was tied up with the white one, Rei turned and began to beat on Unit 04.

An air strike passed overhead. The field was bathed in fire. Rei regained visibility just in time to avoid a prog knife to the face. Sidestepping, she buried a claw in Toji's side.

Next thing she knew, a blur of green shot in onto the beach, tackling her. It was a twisted, learing thing, most certainly not an Evangelion. As it ripped into her black armor, she dug her arms into its green skin, and… Sachiel's chest split open, and tendrils exploded from the wound. They dug into the enemy, burrowing into its heart. The hostile creature stood and stumbled back, slicing the tentacles off its armor.

But Rei was hungry.

-

Asuka stared through the window, nose pressed up against the glass. Inside was the dilapidated from of Shinji Ikari. Connected to more machines than Asuka cared to count, Shinji stared dully up at the ceiling. The doctors said his brainwave activity was almost nil.

Asuka didn't want to lose him, not again. It had hurt enough when she spent her time alone in the apartment. And it still hurt when he snubbed her and put her down. But now, now she would fight for him. She'd have his heart, and the Russian bitch didn't stand a chance!

It was a beautiful day outside, but Asuka stayed by Shinji's side. As she held his pale hand and looked at him, she grew increasingly determined. She would get his heart. Of course, this opened up some opportunities for pure irony… no, she shouldn't… but she would! Yes, there were things she needed to play out…

As the sun fell under the horizon, Asuka began to explore Shinji's body…

-

Rei's ragged breathing filled the medical tent. Six doctors stood over the unconscious girl, in a desperate attempt to extend her life. She was semiconscious, trying to ignore the pain as the doctors pulled shrapnel from her side. Without anesthesia. The pain was unimaginable, even to her strong, half-alien body.

She was vaguely aware of a scream escaping her lips, but it was on the edge of her perception. And, for a moment, she saw the future. It burned her mind like her body was burning now. There was doom on the horizon, there was doom in the ground, and the stars were singing it! "DOOM!"

_The skies open up and razor-rain falls,  
And the hounds of hell stand tall,  
There is no God, for if there were,  
He would not be merciful.  
_

At last, sweet unconsciousness enveloped her.

Perhaps fortunately, she remembered nothing of her vision in the tent. For humanity can endure any torment as long as it doesn't know the details; when everything becomes crystal clear, it will cut you at its edges.

-

Sainman looked at Sachiel with his typical impassiveness, but inside he was burning up with tension. Ayanami was on a plane over the Pacific, not to far away now… but the Japanese navy was out there. It was not as if they could replace her. Sainman paced, but didn't let his nervousness show. Why hadn't Ayanami been shipped out with Sachiel?

Because she nearly had a pound of entry plug buried firmly in her side… of course. A flight would have killed her. Sainman was shooed out by Akagi, who wanted to do some tests.

And once again, Sainman was alone. The solitude of the room left him nervous, and, despite his attempt to concentrate on books, his thoughts inevitably wandered back to his friend.

-

**There's something very wrong with this world.**

-


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Written while listening to AC/DC's _Thunderstruck_.

**Rotting**

"_Frankly, Shinji is creeping me out. I mean, if he was anyone else, I'd simply write 'em off as a grade-A asshole, but from Shinji… And every since he started fooling around with the Russian bitch I've wanted to give him a piece of my mind… But whenever I approach him, he becomes… something… it's like I'm not even talking to Shinji anymore!"_

_Asuka Langley Sorhyu, during mandatory psychotherapy_

A meteor struck the Atlantic.

Within seconds, the USEC was alerted. Four Evangelions being launched via ICBM was a site to behold, and many Seattle residents left their relatively comfortable homes to see it.

Of course, when they landed outside the city, there were no demons to be found. However, there was an ominous wind in the air; rain began to fall. As the drizzle became a downpour, Sachiel became agitated. He said nothing; Rei _felt _his nervousness. As tornado-force winds began to slam Philadelphia.

Rei twitched.

Sachiel's arm rose and the cannons began to fire into the sea. She ignored her comrade's startled protests. It was in the water, it was beneath the boats; it was crawling it up on the ocean floor and would eat them one and all. And yet Rei knew it. Finally, the cannonade halted; her red eyes and Sachiel's strange senses scanned the surface.

Tick.

Tock.

They were still down there. Rei knew it. Whatever they were… The radio buzzing protests was a simple annoyance. It was slowly creeping up on her, that this was highly irregular, completely out-of-character for her, …

Tick.

Tock.

… She could be ill; that seemed more likely…. She'd have to report this. She raised her voice to reestablish contact with HQ. Yes, that seemed like the sane and reasonable thing to do. She could go back to being the epitome of stoicism and austerity that she was before… she… _became_ this mockery of an Angel.

Tick.

Tock.

Four monsters erupted from the water. They looked like Evangelions, but their armor was cracked, their flesh rotted and grey. Their ugly jaws hung open, and tentacles had erupted from their backs, feeling the air around them in a slimy, hideous mass. They circled around the four American Evas like sharks.

Rei raised her cannons. Sainman aimed his pallet rifle. The Conoways stood back to back, one with a generic rifle and the other with a rocket launcher.

Tick.

Tock.

Bang.

Rei's conscious mind disappeared behind a wall of bloodlust. Ripping a foe's jaw off, she emptied explosive shells down its jaw.

**Leviathan…** Sachiel whispered.

Rei swung her axe down on the enemy, spitting its skull. She tossed the axe aside and used her claws; that was so much more satisfying. Ripping through to its entry plug, Rei assaulted it with a terrible certainty. As the she smashed the cockpit, a strange green liquid poured from the smashed steel. Rei stared at it absently as the battle raged around her. The water looked so inviting…

She took two slow steps forward, eyes focused on the sea. The radio was nothing more than a distant buzz, now… suddenly, she saw it…

**Leviathan…**

She reached into the water, ignoring the cries of her comrades. And from it, she lifted something that resembled a whale, save it was rotted and sickly. Sachiel split along his central axis, and began to eat the monster, much to the horror of Rei's comrades.

And as the undead monsters fell, Rei vomited on the controls. The thing tasted horribly, but it filled her with such terrible energy…

-

Shinji lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Asuka was reading again. Silence reigned.

"Shinji?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

There was a long silence. "How do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you acting so weird?"

Shinji gave her a long look. "I saw something during Third Impact, and the human brain couldn't cope with it."

Asuka got up and walked to the couch. Shinji continued to stare up at the roof.

"But I want you back." He turned to look at her, bemused.

"Oh?"

"I want the old Shinji. I want the spineless one that would always say he was sorry, the one who would blush whenever a girl got within ten feet." She was holding his hand now; she _would_ have her way with Shinji.

"I see." Shinji continued to look at her, eyes unwavering.

She pulled on Shinji's hand. "Please come with me."

"Where?"

"Well, I – eh…" She was blushing now. _The great Sorhyu, reduced to the likes of Shinji Ikari_, the egotist-Asuka said. _But I like him,_ replied Sane-Asuka. "I… ReallyWantYouToGoOnADateWithMe," she said, talking fast and blushing bright red.

"It's not like you to blush," said Shinji, bluntly.

Asuka stared at him. "Shinji, come with me!" she said, angrily pulling on his hand.

"Alright." She stopped dead.

"What?"

Shinji got up, slowly. "I agreed."

Asuka looked at him, dumbfounded. "But… what about the Russian bitch?"

"I happen to like that Russian bitch, but I like you better."

And for the next few hours, they were just teenagers again.

-

Lucifer hung in orbit. Oft misidentified as Satan, this monster of red wings stared down with a hundred opaque, black eyes. Spines lined its back, all the way down to its long, armored tail. He wasn't stupid, unlike his brothers. He wouldn't stumble blindly into the jaws of Sachiel. The Islanders would aid him, whether they liked it or not.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Written while listening to "Weird Al" Yankovic's _Germs_. Awesome instrumentation, if nothing else.

**Aesthetic**

"_Do any of us, except in our dreams, truly expect to be reunited with our hearts' deepest loves, even when they leave us only for minutes , and on the most mundane of errands? No, not at all. Each time they go from our sight we in our secret hearts count them as dead. Having been given so much, we reason, how could we not be brought as low as Lucifer for the staggering presumption of our love?"_

Stephen King, _The Dark Tower_

The thing hung in the sky over Tokyo-2. It was just a pair of bat-like wings, plastered with dozens of angry eyes. Its tail swung like a mace as passed overhead, hawklike. Two Evas stood on guard.

"We should really send Hikari and Toji out…" muttered Asuka.

"We don't know what that thing is," said Maya, calmly. "We'll send them out when we know what we're dealing with."

"It's an honor, you know," said Shinji. "They think us skilled enough to be the first in, first out."

Asuka produced a 'hmph'. She shouldered the rocket launcher, aiming at the circling thing. It was like a twisted hybrid monster from Greek mythology; Argus and the hydra.

Suddenly, all its eyes turned towards Asuka. She took a few nervous steps back. Diving towards her, the tail arched up, not unlike a scorpion, and struck 02 across the face. It swung into the air, only to cut up by a wall of bullets. Shinji cursed, tossed the rifle aside, and drew the prog knife as the monster swung towards Asuka once again. Slicing into its wings, Shinji drove it off, at least momentarily.

The thing rocketed into sky, leaking black blood. Asuka had recovered, and was furiously launching rockets into the air. More black blood reigned down.

There was a long silence. Shinji continued to scan the air, waiting for something… anything to happen. It was not over. It was never over. It echoed through the cosmos, a note of a cosmic symphony, resonating.

Lucifer moved too fast to see.

It smashed into Unit 02, covering it with its wings. Shinji leapt upon it and began to tear at the scaly wings, but to no avail. Finally, he sunk the Eva's teeth into the rough flesh. This worked. And Shinji knew everything. The taste was truly foul, but he was willing tolerate. He needed Asuka.

"You won't dull Asuka," hissed Shinji, "Like you did Uriel." His claws sunk into the monster, drawing more black blood. And the door to Asuka opened.

-

Asuka's mind was being inundated with infinite pleasure. This may seem like a strange way to drive one mad, but infinite anything is simply inconceivable; the human mind was meant to process the finite. The unlimited is not part of the natural world, and thus the brain is unprepared for it. And thus, when exposed to infinite pleasure, the senses begin to dull, and the mind wastes away.

This was the fate of Asuka Langley Sorhyu.

She felt thousand hands caressing her, infinite kisses, and the ultimate climax… Her senses began to fade, she no longer understood she was in an entry plug. There was just her, and the mindless pleasure… Empty, meaningless, yes, but it would be so easy just to float off…

Suddenly, she saw Shinji. He was standing before her, offering a hand. There was a long silence; Asuka's ears were not being inundated for the first time in a long, long time, or so she thought.

Suddenly, she recoiled. "You're not Shinji," she whispered.

"Yes I am," he replied, calmly.

"No," she murmured, "You're Adam."

Shinji stared at her, blankly. "You're insane."

Suddenly, his hand darted out and grabbed her wrist. He dragged her out of the entry plug by force, despite her thrashing and screaming.

-

'Asuka Langley Sorhyu escaped the grasp of the being when Shinji Ikari ripped through the creature and ripped the entry plug from Unit 02's back. Sorhyu suffered minor mental contamination, however, a complete recovery is almost certain.

The creature is believed to connected to the attacks upon the United States…'

Fuyutski leaned back in his chair. _Good God_, Fuyutski thought, _I wish Gendo were here. He was at this than me._ The basic business of running government rushed around him; bureaucrats

Maya was typing furiously, trying to boot up what was left of Balthazar. It was hard work, hence the overabundance of abandoned Starbucks cups. She had the jittery, overwrought look of someone whose blood has become caffeine. A few of her comrades had started a betting pool; when would she pass out?

Fuyutski leaned forward, expression pensive. What did Asuka know? You couldn't be connected to a consciousness like Lucifer's and learn _nothing_ of importance. And he was certain Shinji also knew what it was.

-

Rei looked at herself, naked, in the mirror. Her left side was a mess of scars. She ran her hand over the numb flesh, not really thinking about it, just analyzing the aesthetic of mutilation. There was a certain elegance to it, a beauty…

Sainman walked into the quarters. He looked at Rei, in all her surreal glory. The silence spoke volumes; he spoke with the worry in his eyes, and Rei soothed his anxiety with a rare, small smile.

The US was in lockdown.

-

Shinji sat on a hill, holding Arael in his lap. He was planting kisses on her shoulder, gradually pulling off her shirt. Heh, it was ironic; they couldn't even speak the same language, yet their love explained the stars. She was shivering with pleasure, eager for Shinji's, ahem, gift.

It was truly a shame Asuka had to be taken advantage of. However, she was never important to anyone except the younger Ikari. A decoy, a trick, but still an asset. And it was of vital importance that, if given a choice, they would choose Shinji over Fuyutski. And when the sea ran red and the Sol Niger – Black Sun – rose into the sky, she would die for him.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Written while listening to, once again, _Highway to Hell_. Seemed appropriate, as the Legion of Hell seems to be occupied by AC/DC fans.

**Eleventh Hour**

Shinji reclined against a bench, an arm around Asuka's shoulder. He could be tender all he liked. More specifically, he could be tender all Asuka liked. A somewhat healthy park stretched around them. They were alone in this last green place; everyone else had something better to do, something other than nothing.

Shinji stroked her hair, ignoring the flush on her cheeks. Lucifer was still there, the power of lust, growing ever stronger. She would ask him for sex soon, and Shinji would oblige. He just hoped it would be soon, for the sake of Asuka's sanity and his own. He had energy too, after all.

Asuka finally got up and led Shinji by the hand, back to their apartment. Shinji, as he entered, noted Asuka's bright blush. She turned to him, about to ask something, then turned away and went to bed. Shinji sighed. _Asuka, would you save your pride over your sanity?_

-

Rei stared into the heavens, eyes clouded. She was being torn apart by four different voices, each providing different and conflicting suggestions. Suddenly, they all raised their respective, highly distorted voices in song.

_You're on the way to the promised land…_

_You're on a Highway to Hell!_

_Highway to Hell!_

_You're on a Highway to Hell!_

_Highway to Hell!_

_Silence!_ Rei howled, mentally. She reflected that actually conversing with these voices was a sign of schizophrenia, but stuffed this consideration into the back of her mind. They were driving her mad.

_Sound of the drums...  
Beatin' in your heart!  
The thunder of guns, yeah...  
Tear you apart!_

You've been...  
Thunderstruck!

_What can I do to make you quiet?_ Rei was visibly twitching as they began singing horribly out of key.

_Ooh, look, our little hostess doesn't like our singing…_

_How rude!_ Another voice.

_Alright, sweet hostess, maybe we could make a deal_. This voice was reasonably human. _We want you to eat unit 02, like you did with us. _

_Anything!_ Rei thought. _Just be quiet!_

_The Japanese are sending an ambassador in seven days, in the hopes of creating a temporary between the US and Japan. _

_**KILL HIM.**_

_Then… this will start… war… when you get deployed to Japan… Eat Unit 02… It is that simple. _

_Agree to this and we'll be silent. Or at least we'll say nice things._

Rei was standing on an observation deck, shielded by two walls of plexiglass from the outside, but by nothing from within. Her head was resting against the barrier, her eyes vaguely aware of the world outside.

_Yes. I will kill him._

_Yay!_ They put on Beethoven's Ninth in Rei's head, one of her favorites.

-

Rei began to make the necessary preparations. Step one, she found a generic arms locker in a low level of the building. Carrying rubber gloves and wire cutters from the motor pool, she cut the wires that connected the arms locker to the alarm. This locker was incompetently wired at best; it would not go off if the wire was cut, creating a rather vital loophole in the security protocols. Which Rei had, of course, memorized.

She picked the lock, just like the compulsory Escaping Captivity course had shown her. The locker swung open. Rei took a small pistol, a silencer, and a gas mask; she neatly closed the door, locking it. She neatly concealed her loot and tools inside the backpack she carried everywhere. She returned to her quarters and concealed the bag under her bed, then took a shower. She did not necessarily need to do this, but she felt strangely polluted.

-

The days rolled along. Synch tests, practice maneuvers, and other eva-related tests passed in a blur. She almost wanted the man to arrive, to come unknowing to his doom; then the voices would never bother her again, never never never. Heh.

She leaned on Sainman's shoulder, watching the sunset. She had heard stories of girls and boys doing this, and one thing would lead to another, and ultimately end up with a child, but she thought – at least _thought_ she was sterile. She would not put the possibility of 'heirs' past Ritsuko Akagi, whom she had recently become aware of.

She gave a sigh. Sainman glanced at her, red eyes concerned. Rei looked up, sad. There was still a regret, but never doubt. She would kill Ambassador Torrikawa. There were no 'ifs', 'ands', or 'buts' about it. _Or 'ors', for that matter._ Rei cracked a rare, albeit internal, joke.

**A/N:** Sorry it's short, but I'm in a freaking hurry.


	17. Chapter 17

**Cruel Angel's Thesis**

"Tiger, tiger burning bright,  
In the Forests of the Night,  
What immortal hand or eye  
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"  
-Willaim Blake, _The Tiger_

-

The ambassador was a bloody mess on the floor. Nagisa knelt down beside the corpse, examining the wounds. Someone had been very efficient about the execution; six shots fired, four to the chest and two in the head. The man had not stood a chance. Where his face used to be there was a bloody mess; they'd need dental records for the regulation-required autopsy and identification.

Ritsuko looked at the corpse, then at Nagisa. "This means war, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

-

Rei was enjoying the beautiful, beautiful silence. Her life was spent in silence, and to have those… things singing jarring rock and roll in her ears was driving her insane. She already was insane, by some definitions, but she wasn't going to give up yet.

She was aboard an aircraft carrier, out in the pacific. The engagement was soon, she could feel it. Even with their vow of the silence, the demons were humming with anticipation. Perhaps they just enjoyed violence. Of course, Rei did not think this was the case, but what could she do? Telling Akagi would mean being locked up in a padded room with a straightjacket, to be slowly driven mad by the monsters. So, she walked down a road; to where she did not know. A Highway to Hell, as they put it.

Someone suddenly embraced her from behind. Rei recognized the hands as belonging to Sainman.

"Hello, Rei," he said, softly. Rei took a few moments to process this. He had never called her Rei, always Ayanami, and she had called him Sainman, and that was that. What had brought on this sudden change?

"Hello… Mathias…" she said, slowly.

There was a long silence. He was rocking her slowly. She was rather enjoying it, and relaxed slowly.

"My mother died last week," he said, softly.

Rei kept silent.

"She left me all of her personal effects. One was an email from my father. It was about… how he was about to die…" he said, growing ever quieter. "And he would never get to see her again… never get to touch her again."

Rei blushed at this, just slightly. She knew not why. They just stood like that, for perhaps an hour, just holding one another, before they descended into the valley of death.

-

Shinji was grinning inside, though on the outside he maintained a careful façade of solemnity. Sure, he was a vital part of the NERV command structure. Sure, the poor fellow had been shot in cold blood, leaving his wife with three kids. Sure, he had a new daughter on the way. But what did the cosmos care for one more casualty? Plenty died every day; one more wouldn't make a difference to anyone important – even to Shinji, who, during moments of weakness, felt sorry for humans. Still, it made not one dent in the incorrigible march of the Angels – or the Knights of Satan, for that matter. So who cared? Nobody, that was the answer. Perhaps there was a supremely powerful race above him that cared for Shinji as much as he cared for humanity. But what can you do about it, 'cept mind your cosmic station?

Shinji stroked his chin as various JSSDF generals droned on about tactics, Eva patrols, and all that crap. America's age of 'stealth warfare' had long since ended, and Shinji fairly certain that, if the US were to come crashing upon Japan's shores, you wouldn't need an Eva-mounted Mk-4 Stealth Radar/Sonar Device and verification from the big radars at HQ to see four Evangelions baring down on you.

Shinji glanced at Asuka, who was being attentive like a Good Little Eva Pilot. It was a shame she had to be manipulated so. Shinji did not, however, feel the need to be sorry for Toji and Hikari. They were love-stricken idiots. This might seem like hypocrisy to some, but Shinji really did not care. He could be a hypocrite all he liked, because he was better than them.

Shinji drummed his fingers on the table. Either way, it would all be coming to a head. It took Shinji a moment to realize someone was talking to him.

"… take the sourthern defensive perimeter, and don't let anything through," a JSSDF commander was saying. "Understood, Ikari?"

"Of course, sir."

-

Rei was thinking about things she would like to do. Resign from the Evangelion Corp was high on the list; Nagisa said he would let her leave. Then, maybe she could do something with Sainman…

The thunder of cannons shook her out of her thoughts. So. They'd reached Midway; the isle was still contested. Rei ignored the thunder of artillery over the Eva Carrier, ignored the signature roar of supersonic missiles overhead, and ignored the chatter of bullets raining on the outside of the ship. It would take a direct hit by an N2 mine to split the hull of the ship. Unless the Japanese tried to board it, Rei felt momentarily safe.

Suddenly, something occurred to her. How could countries assign more people to manufacture munitions and fewer to growing food? It was too late to pose this question. She abruptly remembered something in a book she had read by a man called Nietzsche.

_The Will to Power._

-

Shinji crouched, gazing through the green Eva's crazed, leering eyes, watching a coast for enemies that would soon lumber across the horizon, cannons blazing. Whatever poor sap was serving as host to Satan's Knights, they would probably end up dead. Shinji knew this much. Ah well. But then, something occurred to him. He began to consider his true love, way down in a strategic bunker. What if someone loved the host… as he loved Arael?

_Oh, how I love her… If I could do anything to keep her out of this battle… I would_. But she couldn't stay out of this fight. As the US army broke upon Japan's shores, she would do the unthinkable. She would steal an Eva.

A distant boom rocked the shore. _They come_.

-

Rei watched precisely the same shore. She stilled her mind, let go of the few attachments she had formed to this place, and began to wade to the shore, ignoring the missiles and shells raining down on her. At her feet were dozens of landing boats, above her were airborne legions; all shielded by her AT Field. To her left were the Conoway children, to her right was Sainman. She considered him, and such a sudden, strange peace came over her, that she was barely shaken by the slaughter.

-

The last Knight hung in orbit. Azazel found this conflict immensely funny, as he found most things. But soon, the time for laughter would be over, the shapeless black mass reflected. Soon, it would the time to fight, and liberate his lord and master!

Silly humans, always playing with things they don't understand. Silly humans, sent to their doom by their Will to Power. Silly, silly humans.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Written while listening to _Bohemian Rhapsody_. (Well, ok, I lied. It was written while listening to _I'm Too Sexy_)

**A Few Revelations**

The thunder of guns almost deafened Asuka, despite the extensive shielding of the Eva. The mighty gun emplacements along the beach fired endless volleys at the advancing fleet. Asuka's pallet rifle rained bullets down on the advancing army. Ach, this was boring. It was like shooting large, metal, cannon-wielding fish in a barrel. With a bazooka.

Suddenly, the pulsating orange stripes of an AT Field formed around the advancing ships. Asuka lowered the rifle, and began to wait. If there was one thing she hated above all else, it was waiting. Finally, the offender appeared over the horizon; a black, vicious-looking Evangelion, built not unlike her own.

Missiles rained around her. She drew hero autocannons and began hail bullets; she felt vicious and feral, like the wolves on the hunt. The black Eva rushed in and begin to attack her with fists and feet. Asuka valiantly fought it off, slicing through the billowing smoke around her. With a mighty shunt, she pushed the Enemy into the water. He began to withdraw, boats trailing behind. As the smog blew away, Asuka was distantly aware of a strange mist rolling onto coast. It came up to the Eva's ankles, so it was about deep enough to envelope a man…

-

Shinji was fighting two Evas at once. Both pilots were completely incompetent. As he kicked one aside, he wondered what was happening in the other defensive zones around Tokyo-2.

Suddenly, a gigantic axe slammed down on his shoulder. It did not cause major damage, or even piece his armor, and so he swung around buried a prog-knife in his enemy's chest. He recognized it instantly.

_Sachiel… what's happened to you?_

The axe came down again. Shinji deflected it and delivered a punch. It shattered one of the outer layers of black goo, sending dark torrents down the thing's side. Shinji fell back to an armory and drew a sword. Swinging it expertly, Shinji got through Sachiel's guard.

Then, the mist came. It refused to move, despite the wind blowing through the area. Shinji recognized at once.

"Traitor," he whispered.

Sachiel split along the middle, and began to swallow the mist. A peculiar red glow appeared in the cloud, moving serenely with the current. Shinji impaled Sachiel on the sword, but this had no effect. The traitor, upon consuming the mist, began to lumber off. Shinji tackled it, and began to beat and bite the monster. After a protracted exchange, Shinji was driven back. Sachiel went onto all fours and took off across the beach. Shinji took off after it.

-

Asuka absently listened to the radio. It sounded like NERV was going to sound the retreat soon. No worries; they'd just fall back to the secondary strategic defense walls. They still had four more, and no one had expected to hold the outer perimeter for very long anyway.

Suddenly, Maya's voice cut through the white noise.

"Asuka you've got an Eva headed up the south side of the beach, it's –"

Static cut in. Asuka glanced at the horizon, almost nervously. Almost The Americans must be using radio jammers. She turned to face oncoming enemy. It was just an Eva, right?

Something big and black shot out of nowhere. Pain flooded Asuka's head and chest. She began firing the pallet-rifle and point blank range, and saw the gunshots going straight through the thing; but it seemed as though it were eating through her armor, then the flesh, then –

And suddenly, all was illuminated.

-

Shinji came after thing and began slashing through its black sludge-armor. He had to get to the entry plug; Lilith was useful and perhaps even necessary. And if he wanted to keep his deal, Asuka was needed as well. Slashing through it, he finally came to the entry plug, and ripped it out forcibly; then tossed it aside. To the shock of all bystanders, this did not slow the monster's slow devouring of Unit 02 at all. Shinji continued to rip into the thing, until he reached the greenish armor. He bit into it, drawing bluish blood, and forced his claws into the wound. Applying all the Green Eva's strength, he pulled the monster off of Asuka and threw it into the water.

"Fall back," he hissed into the radio. "The creature might take some time to regenerate."

-

In the heart of NERV, it was reckoning time. Shinji was leaning against a wall. His three fellow Eva pilots were gathered around the table. Fuyutski sat at the head of the table. Through the one-way window, Shinji could see panicked NERV technicians orchestrating a last ditch defense, not against any human foe, but the monster that rampaged across Japan, laying waste to enemies and allies.

"It's time to tell all, dear Asuka," said Shinji. "You know full well what's going on. Go on. Tell our dear friends the truth. You know it."

Asuka looked at Shinji, with a mixture of fear and hostility. "Why should I?"

Shinji said nothing, but rather allowed the knife he was holding to gleam in her direction. Asuka knew full well that she would use it. Finally, she sighed and looked around. There was an air of tension and bafflement in the room, from all except Fuyutski, who looked resigned.

Asuka sighed and began to explain. "SEELE knew full well what the cost of failure would be. Earth would become a ground ripe for Satanic invasion."

The silence was very tense indeed.

"You see, Satan is a cosmic wanderer – for some sin in eons past, he was exiled from his home, he and his lover. Now they are both doomed to wander the universe, searching for one another, though the chances of them ever being on the same world at the same time is highly remote. So, in an act of desperation, Satan destroys every planet he comes upon – fewer inhabitable planets overall raises the chance of he and his love locating one another."

"How sad," murmured Hikari.

"How do you know?" demanded Toji.

"I was briefly connected to that thing," said Asuka, darkly. "I saw all its thoughts and hopes and dreams, and its sole purpose is to open the door for Satan."

Hikari glanced at Fuyutski, who nodded. So far as he knew, it was true.

"Now, in order to enter a particular universe – ours, for instance – Satan needs to locate a weakening in the fabric of space and time. Third Impact turned our entire planet into such a weakening. In order to begin his invasion, Satan sent his knights – loyal soldiers, who followed him into exile – to secure a supremely weak location. Tokyo-3."

"Why can the knights go on ahead of him?"

"They are weaker, but can slip through cosmic defenses with less hastle.

"Tell them why the Powers-That-Be haven't stopped our good friend, Kouzo," chimed Shinji, flashing his knife.

Fuyutski grimaced. "Without the Angels to defend our universe, we are wide open to Satanic invasion."

"And now, tell them what's about to happen, Asuka…"

"Satan will emerge from a dimensional gateway over Tokyo-3. He will seize control of the monster, and remake it in his own image. And then he will destroy all life on Earth."


	19. Chapter 19

**Dieing Days**

Rei crawled out of the crushed entry plug. Before her stretched the ruinous landscape of Tokyo-3, a testimony to a previous age. Ignoring the blood dripping from her extensive cuts, she dragged herself towards a building, leaving a red trail behind her. There was a remote beacon in her Entry Plug, it would signal for help.

If it had not been destroyed.

Rei began to crawl on her hands on the knees. Her injurieds were extensive. Dragging with her the first aid kit that had been stowed aboard, she pulled herself under the cover of an old apartment complex. Rei opened the white box and applied iodine to the cuts, then bandaged them. Now, all that was left was waiting.

-

Shinji waited patiently. The sounds of gunshots filled the halls of Nerv. This was an inconvenience, sure, but nothing a present mind and loaded gun couldn't handle. The Children were holed up in a bunker, on the off hope that a bunch of technicians and guards could drive off the US Marine Corp.

Shinji leaned against the wall. A group of survivors were gathered there with him, whispering nervously, including the pilots. Shinji considered his plan very carefully. Aw, to hell with it. Shinji headed towards the arms bunker on the opposite wall. Opening the door, he pulled on a SPAS shotgun, and began to load it. It was only when he cocked the gun did anyone take notice.

As he crossed the room, Shinji had such an expression as to scare off all save Asuka.

"Are you insane, Shinji?" she asked, blocking the door.

"Maybe," he said, moving to shunt her aside. She did not budge.

"This is suicide!"

"Waiting here is suicide too."

"But-" she hesitiated, for half a second. "I love you, Shinji."

Shinji paused. "No. I'm not Shinji. You know that. I'm just using his body. You'll get Shinji back in due course." He roughly pushed Asuka aside.

Asuka, not deterred, grabbed Shinji by the hand and yanked him back. "Then who are you?"

Shinji paused. "I'm Adam, you fool. You should have realized that by now. The Angels have taken on human form to stop Satan; they're waiting for my signal."

"What signal?"

"I will summon Unit 01 from Outer Space."

"But… how?"

A grin spread across Shinji's face. "Do you doubt the Might of God?"

-

A few black-armored commandos fired down the hall. Sporadic gunfire sounded throughout the facility. Two moved on ahead, guns poised.

There was a bang. A boy leapt from the shadows; a shotgun blast sounded. One of the men was thrown back, face a bloody mess. There was the familiar sound of a gun being cocked. Machine guns began to fire, but the brown-haired boy moved like lightning, firing with speed and accuracy. Blood was everywhere. A soldier screamed 'fall back', before his throat was blown open. Shinji stood upon a man's corpse, firing into the fleeing group.

The last burst faded, and Shinji was alone. Ignoring the blood soaking through his sneakers, the Third Child strode through the halls, efficiently killing any survivors.

There was an explosion. More commandoes burst into the room. Shinji leapt into the air with superhuman speed, gun blazing. As the last shell fell from the barrel to the ground, Shinji swiped an assault rifle from the ground and raked the room with it, sending splatters of gore against the wall. The Marines retreated before Shinji's deadly accuracy, losing more men every second. Shinji's superhuman hearing detected the drawing of a gun behind him. In mere moments, he had dropped to his knee, drawn a handgun from the floor, and killed the wounded foe. More enemies approached; Shinji spun to face them and destroyed them all, not wasting a single bullet. This was fun! Blood ran on Shinji's face, accentuating his insane grin.

Suddenly, one the doors burst open. Six small, oblong objects were flung into the room, and the door slammed shut. Shinji knew what they were.

A roar filled the room and all hallways around it. Flames erupted. Smoke filled the room. Commandoes burst in, guns poised and at the ready. The smoke wafted out of the room.

A shape, a silhouette. "Ha!" said the figure. "You are truly as foolish as you look!" High-caliber bullets raked the room, slaughtering the soldiers. Shinji smirked like… his father. "I haven't had this much fun since Sodom and Gomorrah!"

And so Shinji marched on, carving a bloody path to the Eva cages. Entering Central Dogma (or, the recreation of it), he saw a few American scientists and guards standing about. All were killed within seconds. Shinji glanced up at the remaining Evas – Toji and Hikari's units. Useless. Their genes had been too dilute.

There was a clanging. One of the ventilation shafts fell open, and out fell Arael. The nephilium clambered to her feet. There was a long pause.

"You're late," said Shinji.

The girl shrugged, then embraced him. Shinji reciprocated.

"Go," he whispered into her ear. "Activate Unit 00. I'll summon Unit 01."

The girl hurried off down a corridor. Shinji focused, stretching his AT Field into orbit, then into outer space. At last, he found it; the purple thing, floating past Neptune and towards Pluto. He began to pull on it, directing it towards the surface of Earth.

-

The shambling monster limped north. Rei watched in impassively. Of course, inside she was terrified. She'd started feeling fear, ever since she got inside that monster called an 'Eva'. Fear she would never see Sainman again. Fear she would never see Ikari again, oddly. Fear that she would die.

But Rei did not cling to her terror; she allowed it to flow through her and around her. And then, she wasn't afraid any more.

A strange, billowing cloud formation formed overhead, folding and shifting endlessly in impossible patterns. Rei knew what it was; every strand of Angel DNA in her body told her what it was. It was Satan.

Rei needed to leave. Grabbing a piece of old piping, Rei began to limp off towards the nearest base. Before she could get there, though, she collapsed into a puddle of LCL and drained through the sewers.

-

Eva Unit 00 rumbled to life. Adam pricked his ears Unit 01 would be here in a matter of hours; the banner around which the Angels would rally. Until then, he had to work with what he had. He had Lilith, Arael, and Armisael. The other Angels were scattered across humanity, on all levels of society.

"Armisael," said Adam, speaking into a radio.

"Sir?" Sainman's voice called back.

"Head up to Tokyo-3. Don't engage the creature. Wait until Arael and me get there."

"Yes sir."

He changed radio frequencies.

"Arael, is Unit 00 active?"

"Mmm." This probably meant the affirmative. Her not knowing Japanese was becoming an annoyance.

A puddle of LCL flowed through a ventilation grate. It pooled before Adam and began to stand up, forming legs, a torso, arms and finally a head. The glassy orange texture dissipated, being replaced by Ayanami's pale skin.

"Lilith," said Adam, coolly.

Rei looked at him, with her familiar stoicism. Then, she twitched once, twitched twice, then took on an entirely new expression. "Adam," she replied.

Adam turned on his heel and hurried down to a hallway, followed by Lilith.

-

Sainman watched the Dimensional Gate turn and fold. The monster was twisting and writhing below it.

_Sachiel, you bastard,_ thought Sainman.

The thing turned a facsimile of Satchiel's bird mask towards him. It seemed to project its thoughts across the expanse between them.

**YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.**

The rest of its body continued to grow and reabsorb limbs, completely variable in its form.

_Of course I understand. You think Satan is the wave of the future._

**NO. I BELIEVE I CAN BACKSTAB THE DARK ONE.**

_Surely you don't believe that Satan is the rebel spoken of in the old texts…?_

**WHO ELSE COULD IT BE?**

Sachiel abruptly cut off communication. Sainman sighed. A mad, misguided Angel and a broken-hearted lover were hell-bent on their destruction. Things were looking dire.

-


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Written in one sitting, while listening to nothing in particular.

**Final Hour**

"_Human, all too Human"  
-Nietzsche _

"Synchronize, dammit"

**No.**

"Do you want humanity to die?"

**No.**

"Then synchronize, bitch!"

**No.**

"So," muttered Adam, "It's Shinji you want?"

**Yes.**

Unit 01 wasn't going to synch with him, that was obvious. It would accept only one soul in all of Creation, and that soul was Shinji Ikari. Not Adam, not Lilith, no one except Shinji Ikari. And if it was Ikari she wanted, it was Ikari she was damn well going to get. Adam had not wanted to resort to this, leaving all of Creation in the hands of a puny human. But so it must be.

It wasn't hard separating himself from the body. He'd inhabited it for an awful long time, and he was ready to leave. There was an ache growing in a brain that had held too much for too long, there was an ache in the muscles that had performed one too many superhuman feats. The time had come. No, it had come a long time ago. It was easy, and Adam rejoined his body in a far-away land.

Shinji, the real Shinji, knew everything. His eyes opened, but gone was the easy-going cruelty of Adam. There was only… Shinji.

Unit 01 twirled the Lance of Longinus around its head, then set off toward Satan.

-

Satan had come, in all his dark glory. Six muscled arms, glistening with black goo, smashed all resistance. A cyclopean red eye stared at the world, betraying superhuman intelligence. The American and Japanese Evas slowly withdrew from its presence. All weapons were worthless against it. It was moving teadily towards Tokyo-2, but doubtless it would target the American fleet next. Its thirst for destruction was truly unquenchable.

Then, Unit 01 appeared, crouched low. Satan rolled his beady eye towards him, then began to lumber over, arms slashing madly. Shinji looked the creature up and down, and threw the lance with all his might.

-

A brilliant flash spilt the night. Rei watched it from afar. The Angels approached from all directions, in their many forms; Sahaquiel, the living bomb, Arael, the destroyer of minds, her beloved, Armisael. Satan lashed out, furious; he seemed to grow new limbs and attack with them. Tentacles felt along the earth, pulling the legs out from underneath the groundborne.

Satan was losing, with the lance sticking threw his chest. With a monstrous roar from a thousand mouths, he redoubled his efforts, knocking Arael out the sky with a black blob of some unpleasant liquid. Rei watched, stoic; she recorded every part of this battle photographically; as she was trained. Unit 01 observed as the Angels made war on their enemy, letting them fight and die.

Then, Adam approached, glowing in the twilight. The Master of the Universe was about protect his creation.

Adam had grown as many limbs as Satan. Wrestling in the coming darkness, He twisted and writhed, punching and slicing, but Satan emerged victorious, tossing the greatest of the Angels aside with ease. Rei's dulled eyes watched this coldly.

Shinji suddenly intervened on behalf the Angels.

-

He ducked and clawed, sliced and smashed. Satan roared with senseless rage, for he was the demon of Wrath. Shinji buried his progknife into Satan's chest, delivering little result. But Shinji was beyond attack, it seemed. He dodged every blind swipe, severed every tentacle, and timed his strikes perfectly. Satan began to retreat, and the Angels renewed their attack. Satan projected a bizarre red light that withered all it touched, and though the Angels were wounded, Shinji's AT Field deflected it with ease. Shinji was the true Master of the Universe, defending his creation. Man had unseated the Divine.

With one last defeated cry, Satan slammed an arm down with such force that Rei was knocked from her feet. A great, black rip had formed in space itself. Satan stumbled through, wounded in a great many places. The rip closed behind himRei looked to the heavens and saw the angels leaving, excluding Sachiel, and saw her beloved leaving as well. "Goodbye, Rei," a loving voice whispered to her. And he was gone from her forever.

Unit 01 simply ran out of power.

- Epilogue -

_I guess things got better from there. Japan and America made peace, leaving Midway in the hands of Japan in return for allowing the US to keep her Evas. Japan was starting to recover; just yesterday the first democratic elections were held since Third Impact. Asuka and I retired from Eva piloting and moved out of the city, living on a healthy pension. We got married when we both turned eighteen; Asuka's Japanese citizenship was approved not long afterwards. We're expecting twins next July._

_Hikari and Toji got hitched too, and moved south. They're expecting a child as well. _

_Rei… Rei's another matter entirely. She was taken to the Sick Bay at NERV, where she was treated for a minor concussion and some cuts. But the damage ran deeper than that. She looked at me with her sad red eyes, and said, "How is it, Ikari, that I am the one always left behind?"_

_I saw her only once after that. I ran into her outside her decrepit apartment in Tokyo-2, just as she was leaving. For good. She said she was going north, to some other city, and that she wanted to be a writer. When she said goodbye, she called me Shinji, for the first time in her life. I never saw or heard of her again after that, until I got sent a copy of a literary magazine from Hikari. A post-it note was attached, telling me to look at page 63. In there was a manga strip by none other than Rei Ayanami. It was drawn in a cold, angular style, showing the story of a group of Test Eva Pilots being slowly consumed and driven mad by their experimental weapons. It was so dark and disturbing that I barely believed that Rei had written it. I will not describe the story in great detail; stories within stories is a topic I shall leave in the hands of Scheherazade._

_I suppose Rei's wounds would never heal. There are just some scars that run too deep. And when I think of the nations of the world teetering on the edge of war, as they are now, I shutter to think of the horrors awaiting us; for they are armed with Evangelions. Maybe the day has come when humankind has grown too strong for its own good. Maybe we shall succeed where both Angels and Demons have failed; we shall be the harbingers of our own destruction. _


End file.
